Proteas reach first final: Can they end the heartache?

South African cricket fans can now dare to dream.

Years of close calls, heartache and pain for our national team could finally end in Bridgetown, Barbados, tomorrow when the Proteas play in their first global ICC limited overs final.

At the T20 World Cup that is being held in the West Indies, with earlier matches in the US, the Proteas have gone eight games unbeaten to qualify for their first major final.

In seven previous semifinals in T20 and ODI World Cup cricket, the Proteas have failed to make it to the last game.

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Who will ever be able to forget the rained-affected game in Sydney in the 1992 ODI World Cup, or the 1999 ODI semifinal World Cup tie with the Aussies (and elimination) in England, or 2014’s agonising T20 semifinal loss to India, among other painful exits?

But with the team of captain Aiden Markram and coach Rob Walter flying under the radar this time around – and no-one expecting the Proteas to do much – they have found a way to win in tough conditions.

They have yet to put together a complete performance, so here’s hoping they can fire in the final and finally end their World Cup heartache.