Gary Kirsten tiptoed around the C-word for much of his final press conference as South Africa coach tonight, talking about the ‘dark mist’ which surrounds the team in knockout cricket and their habit of being ‘emotionally hijacked’.
However, his final words before leaving the post after two years left nobody in any doubt what had happened at The Oval yesterday, when the Proteas succumbed to their tenth defeat in ten ICC knockout matches over the past 15 years.
‘The word chokers is trending on Twitter,’ said his inquisitor. ‘How do you explain to South Africans it hasn’t happened again?’
‘I think it has happened,’ was the emphatic response. ‘We need to be honest with ourselves. I think we did choke. It’s a horrible, uncomfortable word but you’ve got to become comfortable with it. You’ve got to accept that’s what it is.’
