The South Africans couldn't remove their World Cup back monkey; can the New Zealanders jettison their shoulder riding chimp? The Indian cricketers have a similar issue with New Zealand, the little team that continue to embarrass the dominant force in world cricket.   

The Proteas problem of choking in big moments at global white ball tournaments has long been an itch that can’t be scratched. After cruising through the World Cup prelims, unbeaten until the semi-final versus the Black Caps, the Africans, full of rightful confidence, held on so tightly to expectation that they strangled the life out of any chances they had.    

They slumped when it mattered, the oxygen required to operate at such a level of competition, was sucked from them, not only by the miserly bowling from NZ, but by the suffocating nature of unrealised potential. They didn’t choke, they self-asphyxiated, as impossible as that may sound.    

The Black Caps may well stumble at the last hurdle, the monkey on their back not being one that chokes the life out of them, it’s the one that whispers in their ear, you’re not good enough. Constantly reminded by the world that they have no right to be at the sharpest end of tournament with their tiny population and almost non-existent player base, they have been so close, and short of the Nairobi Champions Trophy win a quarter of a century ago, never pushed through to claim the major title that has beckoned.   

India has a different, but equally stressful issue. New Zealand has become a thorn in their side, that’s been there so long it’s gone septic. When it really matters, India can’t put New Zealand away. All the money in the world, an incomprehensibly vast population comparison and a governing body that will stop at nothing to stack the odds in India’s favour, yet New Zealand regularly gets up their face and embarrasses them.  

The next layer of pressure for the Indian side is the weight of expectation they must carry. At home, in front of 130,000 fans in the Ahmedabad Stadium, defending champions who may be the first team to go back-to-back in T20 World Cups and the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home.    

Does any of this matter come Monday morning? It shouldn’t. Do past performances really dictate future outcomes? Strictly speaking they don’t, but they do play on the minds of competitors.   

Who deals with these mind shadows the best will surely hold the trophy aloft.