Five times South Africa was embroiled in controversy at ICC World Cup

South Africa produced an all-round performance as they managed to defeat the West Indies by eight wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. However, there was some controversy prior to the start of the match as Quinton de Kock was not included in the playing XI because of his decision to not take a knee. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has directed all the players to 'take a knee' as a stance against racism as players across many sports have been doing.

Take a look at five other times the South African team has been embroiled in controversy at the ICC World Cup.

1. Selection of Vernon Philander

South African cricket has been known for their race-related quotas for many years and it has raised issues when the captain chooses a person of colour against their wishes. In the semi-finals of the 2015 ICC World Cup, Kyle Abbott was one of the key bowlers of the South African attack after figures of 6-1-27-1. However, he was not part of the semi-final match that they ended up losing and the skipper at that time AB de Villiers wrote about a call he got from CSA officials asking him to select Vernon Philander. De Villiers wrote, "So what had happened? Had Vernon, who was officially classified as coloured, been selected ahead of Kyle, who was officially white, to ensure there were four players of colour in the semi-final? Or had the decision been made for purely cricketing reasons?."

2. Herschelle Gibbs 'dropped the World Cup'

In the Super 6 match against Australia in the 1999 World Cup, after a superb batting display where Gibbs scored 101 to help South Africa to a total of 271. Lance Klusener bowled a full delivery, Steve Waugh was dropped by Gibbs in the 31st over and the Australian captain went on to score 120 and help Australia to win the match by five wickets. Australia then met South Africa again in the semi-finals where they went through and won the trophy. It is alleged that Waugh told Gibbs after the blunder, "Hersh, you’ve just dropped the World Cup,”. However, Gibbs denied that it ever happened.

3. Controversial 'Rain Rule'

In the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup, South Africa needed 22 runs off 13 balls however, rain interrupted play and forced them back to the pavilion. When the rain subsided South Africa needed 22 runs off one delivery and England ended up winnings by 19 runs. After this moment, there was a reanalysis for the rain rule and the Duckworth-Lewis (now Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method was introduced.

4. Miscalculation of Duckworth-Lewis Method

At the 2003 World Cup, South Africa needed to win their final group game against Sri Lanka to get to the next round. Owing to rain the match was shortened and the Duckworth-Lewis Method was brought in. In the 45th over of SA's innings, Mark Boucher has been conveyed a target of 229, but they needed to score one more run to win. As it turned out, Boucher calmly pushed the final ball of that over to leg and did not take a single. The teams couldn't return to the pitch after the interruption as the rain had got hard. The match ended in a tie and South Africa were out in the first round itself.

5. Hansie Cronje and the King Commission hearings

One of the most iconic South African cricketers, Hansie Cronje, was caught in one of the biggest international cricketing scandals when the Delhi Police, on an unrelated matter, happened to tap into a conversation between Cronje and a bookie during South Africa’s tour of India back in 2000. While he initially denied the accusations, King Commission inquiry in South Africa all the corruption was revealed. "I had a great passion for the game, my teammates and my country but the problem is the unfortunate love I have for money. I do like money. I'm not going to try to get away from that," said Cronje during the interrogations.

Image: AP