Know Why South Africa Called Chokers

The term "choke" in sports is the inability to perform under pressure, often because of a sudden loss of confidence. The South African cricket team has been labeled as "chokers" due to a series of high-profile defeats in crucial matches.
The origin of this label dates back to the 1999 Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia. Chasing a target of 214, South Africa needed one run from the final four balls with one wicket in hand. A miscommunication led to Allan Donald's run-out, resulting in a tie that eliminated them based on prior results.
In the 2003 World Cup, South Africa, as the hosts, played Sri Lanka in a rain-affected game. A miscalculation of the Duckworth-Lewis target led them to believe that they had won, but the game resulted in a tie, meaning elimination for the host team.
Chasing 222 against New Zealand in the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup, South Africa faltered under pressure as they lost their way from 108 for 2 to collapse to 172 all out.
Once again, against New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup semifinal, South Africa made a respectable total. Then New Zealand ran down that, and South Africa again came short by one match and failed to reach the final of the World Cup.
The "chokers" tag had been a great psychological burden on the team. Former coach Corrie van Zyl mused that constant reminders of previous failure added pressure, which somehow affected composure at crucial moments.
Despite all this, sometimes South Africa almost seems to cast aside the choker tag. This happened when South Africa beat Australia in 2006 chasing a then world record total of 434 runs. Later, the performance in successive tournaments kept reviving this "choker" tag again and again.
In recent years, the team has been resilient. Even when they reached the T20 World Cup final, that was a big breakthrough although they lost to India by a whisker and full of hope for many more successful years ahead.
The "chokers" tag is a legacy of past performances, but it reduces a lot of complexity and many challenges made by the South African cricket team. Their sustained performance, at times producing results, only tells a story of perseverance and potential.