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South
Africa
South
Africa Withdraw
9th
September
Just 21 days before the beginning of the World
Cup, Eddie Fourie, President of the South
African Indoor Cricket Association, announced the shock withdrawal
of both the South African Men and Women's sides.
In a letter
published on the SAICA website, Eddie states two sponsors
have withdrawn their support, leaving the South African teams
with no financial backing. He goes on to say that efforts are
still underway to secure other financial assistance in an effort
to still participate. With the Cup beginning on 30 September,
this now appears highly unlikely.
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In
2000, the South African Women defeated the Australian Women during
the World Cup. It was the first international defeat for the Aussie
Women.
The
South African Women finished the Cup in second place.
In the same
tournament, the South African Men missed out on making the final,
and excluding Australia for the first time ever, by one run.
The South
African Men finished in third place.
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In
the eyes of many, South Africa would have been the team to challenge
the Australian dominance of the Indoor Cricket World Cup. If they
don't attend, they and their supporters may justifiably feel yet
another chance to rise to the top has been missed (although many
believe
South Africa wasted their best chance on their home turf in 2000).
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