South Africa at the Cricket World Cup: A look at the Proteas' performances down the years

Jos Buttler’s England start the tournament as defending champions following their breathtaking win over New Zealand in the 2019 final on home soil.

Meanwhile, South Africa head into the global showpiece with realistic hopes of lifting the 50-over trophy for the first time in their history - and face Sri Lanka in their opening game.

Here, SABC Sport assesses the Proteas’ performance in each 50-over Cricket World Cup they have played in.

2019 World Cup

In a final for the ages, hosts England defeated New Zealand by the barest of margins. After scores were tied, a Super Over followed and scores were tied once again - but England won on boundary countback.

South Africa finished seventh in the tournament after three wins and five losses, leaving much room for improvement in their performance. Notably, SA's highest wicket-taker was Imran Tahir with 11 wickets, and the highest run-scorer was Quinton De Kock with 353 runs.

2015 World Cup

Co-hosted by Australia and cross-Tasman rivals New Zealand, the tournament saw Australia defeat perennial bridesmaids New Zealand by seven wickets with 10 remaining balls.

South Africa won four out of six matches played, achieving their highest team total in World Cup history with a mammoth 411/4 against Ireland.

The Proteas finished second in their pool, securing them a semi-final berth against New Zealand, where they failed to defend 11 runs in the final over.

2011 World Cup

Played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the international tournament resulted in India defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final for their second World Cup title.

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2007 World Cup  

The 2007 Cup was hosted by West Indies, and saw Australia win against Sri Lanka by 53 runs for their third World Cup title on the bounce.

With promising performances, South Africa advanced to the semi-finals, but lost to Australia by seven wickets. 

After four total matches won and four lost, Proteas stars AB de Villiers and Charl Langeveldt enjoyed a great tournament. De Villiers was the top run scorer with 372 runs, while Langeveld bagged the most wickets with 11 scalps. It was also the tournament where Herschelle Giibs hit six sixes in a row against the hapless Netherlands bowling attack. 

2003 World Cup

This tournament was played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya, with South Africa securing a notable performance.

This edition saw Australia crowned champions after defeating India by 125 runs in the final at the Wanderers.

Unfortunately, host team South Africa failed to progress in the Super Sixes after ending their match with Sri Lanka in a tie after a management blunder with the Duckworth-Lewis system. 

1999 World Cup

Hosted in England, Australia defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the one-sided final at Lord’s.

South Africa emerged as top of their group, winning four out of five matches and making it to the semi-final match against Australia. The showdown against Australia ended in a tie, with South Africa's lower ranking on the Super Sixes table securing Australia a spot in the finals.

Notable performances by South African all-rounder Lance Klusener earned him the Man of the Tournament accolade.

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1996 World Cup

Co-hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the tournament was won by hosts Sri Lanka after beating Australia by seven wickets.

The Proteas batting lineup put the Netherlands and United Arab Emirates to the sword, notching up totals of 328/3 and 321/2 respectively.

South Africa only made it to the quarter finals, having lost to West Indies by 19 runs. 

1992 World Cup

Hosted in Australia and New Zealand, Pakistan claimed victory over England by 22 runs to win their first and only World Cup.

South Africa made their ICC debut in 1992, emerging as fierce competitors to secure their semi-final spot against England after five out of eight wins during the tournament.

By Shameeka Voyiya