This year's World Cup will therefore be the perfect stage for the South African cricketers to display their one-day skills and provide their loyal compatriots with the biggest prize in limited overs cricket.

In One-Day cricket, the South Africans boast a superior record against nearly all the Test-playing countries, even though they lost to Sri Lanka by 27 runs in the Morocco Cup final last year and failed to reach the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.

Only the mighty defending World Cup champions Australia have stayed on the South Africans’ heels, winning 29 and losing 24 of the 56 ODIs contested with the other three matches, tied.

Against former champions, Pakistan, the South Africans have won 25 and lost 11 of their 36 ODIs while having 18 wins to Sri Lanka’s 14 with one no-result in 33 limited-over clashes.

South Africa did not quite live up to expectations in the “Mini World Cup” last September in Sri Lanka, losing to India in the semifinal by ten runs after scraping home in a tense two-wicket last-ball win against the West Indies.

Captain Shaun Pollock and his men have however, redeemed themselves after being out-classed by Australia 5-1 in their last One-Day series.

After being humiliated by the formidable Aussies, South Africa rebounded by thrashing both Sri Lanka and Pakistan 4-1 in subsequent five-match One-Day series, clearly boosting their confidence ahead of the World Cup.

Most importantly, the South Africans, who have a record five coloured players on their World Cup roster, will have a psychological boost, playing on home soil and in front their partisan supporters.

Their first hurdle on February 9 in the tournament’s opening match at Cape Town will be against former two-time champions, the West Indies, whom they have outplayed over the years, winning 18 and losing only eight of their 28 ODIs.

In inspirational skipper Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje, South Africa have four outstanding all-rounders in this form of cricket while Herschelle Gibbs and Jonty Rhodes are not only flamboyant free-scoring One-Day batsmen but also fantastic fielders.

Kallis, with 5 902 runs at an average of 44.04 and 164 wickets in 168 matches, will be the key weapon for South Africa with his solid batting and deceptive fast-medium swing bowling.

But Klusener, with two centuries in 3 290 runs (ave: 42.72) and six hauls of five wickets or more in an innings, is also a match-winner as well as Pollock, whose 260 wickets, have been achieved at an average 22.88 and an economy rate of just 3.77 runs per over in 180 ODIs.

Veteran Allan Donald, boasting 271 wickets at an average of 21.37 and 4.13 runs-per-over in a flourishing 161-match One-Day career, will spearhead the South African bowling with support from the all-rounders Kallis, Klusener, Pollock and Boje.

Rising fast-bowler Makhaya Ntini is starting to show his worth with 89 wickets (ave: 24.86; economy rate: 4.22) while rookie pacers Monde Zondeki and Charl Langeveldt, all-rounder Andrew Hall and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson are all capable back-up bowlers.

Apart from Kallis, Rhodes and the dashing opener Gibbs, who has now recorded 11 ODI centuries, South Africa’s batting will revolve around experienced left-handed opener Gary Kirsten, whose 6 612 runs in 179 matches at an average of 40.56 with 13 centuries, speak volumes.

The improving Boeta Dippenaar, with 14 half-centuries, has displayed plenty of reliability and consistency in achieving an ODI batting average of 42.89 after 50 matches and along with Kallis and Rhodes, will be key batsmen in the middle order.

Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher is also an effective lower order batsman with 13 ODI half-centuries under his belt and has been known to tilt many matches in South Africa’s favour with his fluent batting.

Already, most bets are on South Africa to win their first World Cup with the advantage of playing at home, but one can only wait and see how the players handle the pressure from their fans, who will be hungry to taste success on home soil.

Once they qualify for the Super Six as is widely expected, the South Africans, who were eliminated from the last World Cup in England after their dramatic semifinal tie with Australia, will be wary that a nation's dreams could be shattered by one bad game in the knockout phase.