Come in No 7, your time is up

Yes, it's almost that time again; when you grip your remote with knuckles white and try to ignore the ghastly ghosts gamboling ghoulishly in the dark dungeon of your mind.

There are six of them, one for each of South Africa's six failed World Cup tournaments - a horrible half-dozen of what might have been.

Come in No7, your time is up. Or it will be if the Proteas beat Sri Lanka in their quarterfinal at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow. The first ball is due to be bowled at 5.30am South African time. If the match runs its course, it will end around lunch time.

In those few hours so much could change for so many cricket-minded South Africans. Or it could be the same, only worse.

Infamously, South Africa have never won a knockout match at a World Cup. To do so tomorrow would be to rewrite history.

To lose would be to repeat the mistakes of the past. And this is only the quarterfinals.

"We've spoken long and hard about playing the big games and the big moments really well," coach Russell Domingo said.

In Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga, each side has a bowler with a reputation for mass destruction. But, between them, they have taken just 20 wickets in 12 matches at the World Cup.

If Steyn finally finds a dominant performance, South Africa will win. The same goes for Sri Lanka if Malinga wreaks havoc.

But, for now, tomorrow's spotlight remains on a pair of batsmen who have lit up the tournament like no other.

Kumar Sangakkara has become the first batsman to score centuries in four consecutive ODI innings. AB de Villiers, meanwhile, needed just one trip to the crease to garner similar attention, although his 162 not out against West Indies on February 27 was worth several innings from any other player.

"We had a cup of coffee with Kumar in Christchurch before the serious business started," Domingo said. "He's just such a lovely, unassuming guy. AB de Villiers is very similar. They're really good blokes.

"But if all our focus is on Kumar we are going to be under pressure because Sri Lanka have some very good players. And if Sri Lanka are just focusing on AB de Villiers that will suit us nicely because we also have some seriously good players."

Not that Domingo was shy to bowl the odd googly: "You've got to think there is a low score [for Sangakkara] just around the corner. Hopefully he still thinks he's on 110 when he walks out, so maybe he will give us a chance to get him out early."

Compelling evidence that the Proteas are not a one-man team is that they have the biggest contingent of non-playing squad members at the tournament.

The latest to pop up is explorer Mike Horn. "He has done a lot scarier things in the world than facing Dale Steyn or Morné Morkel, and he will put it all into perspective: what pressure is like and what fear is like."