South Africa is one of the most formidable teams in world cricket and can give a tough fight to any opponent. However, when it comes to ICC events, no team has been as unlucky as them.
The same holds true for the T20 World Cup, which they haven’t won since its inception in 2007. However, South Africa have had moments in the tournament’s history where they were so close, yet so far from victory. They came very close to winning the championship in the 2024 edition, in which they ended up losing the final against India.
This article will take a glance at South Africa’s record in every T20 World Cup edition.
South Africa’s Performance in Every T20 World Cup Edition
| Year | Edition Result | Matches Played | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Super 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | Semi-Final | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | Super 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | Super 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Semi-Final | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Super 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Super 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Super 12 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | Runner Up | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | Ongoing | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Key Insights
South Africa have made it to the T20 World Cup knockouts only three times, with two semi-final appearances in 2009 and 2014 and one in the 2024 final. The Proteas team reached the final of the tournament for the first time in 2024.
South Africa won eight matches in a row before losing in the 2024 Final against India. This is the most number of matches won by South Africa in a single T20 World Cup edition.
Out of the eight editions, South Africa have finished their campaign in the second round six times (Super 8/10/12).
Graeme Smith has won the most matches for South Africa as a captain. He led the Proteas in 16 games in three editions (2007, 2009, and 2010), winning 11 of them.
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