Seldom has a story featuring rain, South Africa, and the World Cup – men’s or women’s, ODIs or T20Is – ended well. Even among them, the 2003 debacle stands out.

Similarly to South Africa’s World Cup woes, tt the 2023 Asia Cup Afghanistan needed to chase 292 in 37.1 overs to qualify for the Super Four at Sri Lanka’s expense. They reached 289-9 – but could still qualify if they reached 295 in 37.4 overs, or 297 in 38.1.

But Afghan No.11 Fazalhaq Farooqi played out the next two balls before Dhananjaya de Silva trapped him leg-before. At the press conference, Jonathan Trott confessed that the entire scenario was not “communicated with” Afghanistan.

All that took cricket fans down the memory lane, when a similar fate befell upon South Africa at Durban.

South Africa were, for the first time, main hosts at the World Cup. Eight years ago, the Rainbow Nation had witnessed Nelson Mandela in a Springbok rugby jersey and cap, hand over the rugby World Cup to Francois Pienaar after a famous win in the final against New Zealand.

The immense expectations from Shaun Pollock’s men faced a roadblock when but they ran into Brian Lara in their tournament opener and lost by three runs. Against New Zealand, they had no answer for a rampant Stephen Fleming. But none of Kenya, Bangladesh or Canada posed a challenge, and the hosts clung on.

Their last match was at Durban, against Sri Lanka – a side that, despite losing to Kenya, had beaten everyone else. Kenya had claimed four points against New Zealand as well, after the latter cited security reasons to not travel to Nairobi.

New Zealand were done with their six matches. They were on 16 points, the same as Sri Lanka and Kenya, both of whom had a match in hand. South Africa, on 12, needed four to catch up with them.

Opting to bat, Sri Lanka posted 268-9. Marvan Atapattu made 124 in 129 balls, while Aravinda de Silva scored a 78-ball 73. For the hosts, Jacques Kallis claimed 3-41 and Andrew Hall 2-62.

At 199-5 after 40 overs, South Africa seemed on track. Despite the rain, however, Sanath Jayasuriya continued to use his spinners – Muttiah Muralitharan, himself, and, once he bowled himself out, even Russel Arnold.

Arnold’s over, the 44th of the innings, went for a solitary run. With rain in the air, Lance Klusener and Mark Boucher could not afford to take risks because wickets altered the Duckworth-Lewis method – Steven Stern’s name had not been added yet – significantly.

The over put South Africa behind the par score, but a wide from Muralitharan went for four to bring them back into the game. As rain pelted down, Boucher lofted the fifth ball into the stands.

The target had come down to 40 in 31 balls, but that was of little consequence: it was evident that the match would not go all the way.

Outside the fence stood substitute fielder Nicky Boje, with a sheet provided by Eric Simmons, on which the par scores were chalked out. He tried to rush out to hand it over, but umpire Steve Bucknor asked him to wait until the end of the over.

Boucher had been “given the message of 229,” as Pollock admitted after the match. Boucher knew that the par score after 45 overs was 229-6, and South Africa were 229-6.

The South Africans had been correct about the par score. What was not communicated was the fact that 229 would help them tie the match, not win it. Unlike Sri Lanka, who needed a tie, South Africa had to win.

“If they don’t get back on, they need one more run. They are probably aware of it,” alerted Tony Greig on air. But Boucher, blissfully unaware, was happy to tap the last ball to mid wicket and not run.

The skies opened. The cricketers and the ground staff crossed each other as they sprinted in opposite directions. Boje could never deliver that sheet to Klusener and Boucher, for the match never resumed.

Jayasuriya, on the other hand, had kept up with the calculations: “We knew that it was a tie – I had the sheet in my hand.” He draped an arm around Pollock, but it was scant consolation. Sri Lanka, Kenya, and New Zealand had qualified; South Africa had not.

“Forty-two million South Africans are going to bed tonight hoping it was a bad dream,” quipped Andrew Hudson.

“You can look at all the ifs and buts but at the end of the day it doesn’t really help much,” admitted Pollock. He was sacked less than a fortnight later.

Ironically, South Africa’s co-hosts – Zimbabwe and Kenya – both made it to the Super Sixes. Kenya even became the first Associate Nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.