OPINION: With a bit of luck, the Proteas can finally break their duck

Having been handed a tremendous amount of bad luck in the past, things finally seem to be going the way of the Proteas at the Champions Trophy tournament.

Of course, it hasn’t always been down to luck, and the SA team’s failure to lift a major championship trophy for the last 27 years has also been down to inconsistency and the national squad collapsing when it has counted the most.

But the long list of bizarre issues that have stood in their way have also been well documented, from a rain delay resulting in an impossible run chase to a bowler dropping his bat and a captain miscounting runs.

At the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, however, it seems the sporting gods are finally looking down on the Proteas with some favour.

It was disappointing that their group match against Australia was abandoned this week without a ball bowled, due to the weather, as it was expected to be a cracking game.

But the point the Proteas picked up from that fixture has ultimately been a blessing, and with Afghanistan stunning England on Wednesday, they couldn’t have asked to be in a more favourable position ahead of their last match of the opening round.

If Australia beat Afghanistan on Friday, the Proteas will book their spot in the semifinals, and if Australia win, the SA team can still progress by beating England on Saturday.

Powerful squad

Even though they are missing some key fast bowlers, due to injuries, the Proteas bowling unit have proved their worth, and the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj offer enough quality and variety to put up a fight against any batting line-up.

And with conditions in Pakistan generally favouring the batters, the Proteas top order boasts enough firepower to take advantage of the flat tracks, having repeatedly proved they can rack up big scores.

The national squad have done well at World Cup tournaments in recent years, but that global title remains elusive, and it will be fitting if they end their drought at the Champions Trophy, the only major tournament they have ever won (back in 1998).

Form and adaptability are key to winning major tournaments, and South Africa’s squad are both in form and can adjust their game plans according to their opposition and the conditions.

It also helps, however, to have a bit of luck, and based on how things have gone in the group stage, they might finally have some of that too.

Now they need to follow through and hit their straps when it counts.