With the convincing win over minnows Afghanistan, the Proteas reached the Super Eight stage of the ICC T20 World Cup. However, I have to ask does anyone in South Africa really care?

How many actually watched the match? How many saw our speedsters demolishing the Afghanistan batting-order and thereby ending their World Twenty20 dream? My guess is not many. No, we are far more concerned about the 2010 Football World Cup.

There is no hype in the country what so ever, no advertising on television; no branded marketing material in shopping centers and no small talk in the halls of businesses.

I guess we all can be excused after all, we are hosting the biggest World Cup in history, but still our countrymen is playing in a World Cup!

Maybe it is that the ICC T20 tournament followed the Indian Premier League too soon. The core of cricket fans haven`t had time to recuperate. The IPL is a tough act to follow. They had fireworks, big screens with massive hype messages and thousands and I mean thousands of screaming fanatics.

True, the Caribbean dancing girls try their best but without the atmosphere, all is in vain.

And should South Africa overcome their neck tag as “chokers” and win the ICC T20 World Cup, will we then care? I doubt it – the FiFa World Cup 2010 is almost here!