“And I wonder/Should I laugh or cry…”

But on a triple-header day – the last of the Super 12s – at the World Cup, South Africa’s equation was the simplest: beat Netherlands, play the semi-final. Yes, it was a knockout game, but going by the team rankings, this should have been straightforward.

But, paralysed by a World-Cup history which they don’t seem to have any idea how to break free of, a side that bore little resemblance to the title contenders who had strutted about Australia this last fortnight turned in a performance scarcely believable for its timidity. Rabada found himself carved through the off side first-ball by Stephan Myburgh, and spent the entire over guessing and second-guessing a man who simply backed himself against one of the fastest in the world. Myburgh, knowing it was his last match of the World Cup, felt the freedom. South Africa got themselves into a cage that slammed shut on them.

When Netherlands posted 158, and it became clear the easy win South Africa so craved wouldn’t be handed to them, the magnitude of the moment seemed to weigh South Africa down.

De Kock averages just 11.4 in T20I cricket against left-arm pace this year, and he ended up pushing that average down further when he managed just six off eight balls – out of 13 off 13 – and lost his wicket to Fred Klaassen.

As the game pushed its way into the middle overs, and it became apparent that it might become a battle of nerves at the death, Netherlands grew into the contest, occupying the space a retreating South Africa were handing them. Forty-eight runs off five overs isn’t the most intimidating equation, but Netherlands had Brandon Glover to turn to for three overs – no one has a better T20I bowling average for them, and with South Africa needing to preserve wickets, that bred uncertainty.

One of the tragedies of South Africa’s fate at World Cup competitions over the years is the power of the narrative to cloud all sensible judgements of the actual merits of the team. South Africa have taken fairly ordinary teams to world events at times. Their T20I side of the last 12 months, however, is not one of those. You could almost say it was something of a T20 golden generation, with two cracks at breaking the hoodoo in the space of a year.

But every ICC white-ball event is now something of a parole hearing for this South African side. There’s anticipation, character development, rehabilitation, and that most cruel of things: hope.

The sun continued to burn bright in Adelaide all game, but it was just about after dawn back home in South Africa that their fate was sealed. Some might laugh, some might cry, some might just go about their day, swearing off the team. But they will be back, of course, because they can’t help believing. But as the door slams shut on them once more, it’s difficult to say when the day will come.