Victorious in Dhaka

There is one ICC tournament that South Africa approach with excitement rather than a sense of trepidation: the Champions Trophy. It is the one global competition they have actually won. They were the inaugural victors in 1998 and even though it does not, in the words of Daryll Cullinan, "carry the same prestige" as a World Cup, it's a triumph they take great pride in.

The squad that travelled to Dhaka to compete in theWills International Cup was still relatively new to international cricket - South Africa had only been readmitted seven years before then - so every experience was considered a step in their growth. But they were not just toddlers stumbling in the dark. They had begun to take confident strides and their triumph in 1998 was proof of that.

"We were at our peak then. There's no doubt we were the best team at that competition," Cullinan said. A combination of meticulous planning, a sustained build-up of positive results, controlling aspects of their game such as fitness and having sufficient depth to allow for injury losses - all contributed to South Africa's major tournament glory.

From the outset, they were favourites to win the event, as the numbers clearly illustrated. Even though South Africa had not played as many matches as some of their opponents in the 30-month period between the end of the 1996 World Cup and the beginning of the 1998 tournament, they had the best record over that time.

Of the 59 matches they participated in, South Africa won 45, giving them a success rate of 76%. That was overwhelmingly more than any other team. The then-world champions Sri Lanka had won 65.5% of matches they played, while West Indies (54%), Pakistan, England (both 52%) and Australia (44%) lagged behind. India, who played the most matches at 97, had only won 39%.

Perhaps more tellingly, South Africa successes were achieved in multi-team tournaments as well as bilateral events. They competed in ten ODI series, eight of which involved three or more teams. South Africa won six of the ten, including the Sharjah Cup against India and Pakistan in the UAE on April 1996, and the Wills Quadrangular against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and West Indies in November 1997.

They were comfortable with quick changeovers between matches, like the 1998 event would demand, and had become used to being "ruthless," as Cullinan said. As an ODI machine, they operated smoothly, because of the systems put in place by Bob Woolmer. Not only did he demand excellence from his players, but he ensured South Africa were at the forefront of new developments by forming important partnerships with other sports figures, such as Tim Noakes at the country's Sports Science Institute.

"We were the first side to have a fitness trainer and to place such importance on the physical side of things. You could easily say we were world leaders in that department and even a team like Australia was looking at us in terms of what we were doing," Cullinan said.

Being at the forefront in a discipline, instead of playing catch-up, helped take some of the anxiety off the squad, according to Nicky Boje. "We didn't feel under too much pressure," Boje said. "Bob and Hansie ran a good ship. Everyone knew their role in the side, we all enjoyed each other's company and we had a fair amount of experience."