3 Instances when rain played spoilsport in South Africa's campaign in ICC Tournaments

2. 2003 World Cup group stage match against Sri Lanka

South Africa locked horns with Sri Lanka in the Pool B match of the 2002 World Cup. This was a must-win game for the Proteas to qualify for the Super Sixes round. The Lankan Lions won the toss and posted an imposing 268 runs on the board courtesy of Marvan Atapattu’s 124-run knock off 129 deliveries.

The Proteas in response were 229 for 6 at the end of 45 overs with Mark Boucher (45 runs off 50 balls) and Lance Klusener (1 run off 8 balls) at the crease. The duo could have sealed the game for their team with 40 runs required off 30 deliveries but the rain came down heavily and the match could not be resumed. 

As per DLS method, the scores were tied and thus, the points were shared. This meant South Africa ended up with 14 points and were knocked out of the competition. Had Shaun Pollock & Co. won the game, they would have reached 16 points and would have replaced Kenya for a Super Sixes spot. Unfortunately, the rain denied them the opportunity to do so.