This will be the third bite of the Proteas at the cherry on home soil. This time though, they are convinced they have the strongest arsenal.

By Firdose Moonda

Yet again, expectation hangs around South African cricket circles like wet washing on a line. It's heavy, so heavy it's just about to weigh that line down and it drips with desire. The desire to finally bring home some silverware after an 11 year drought. More importantly, it's the desire to do it at home.

South Africa now has their third chance in six years to win an ICC event at home. First, there was the 2003 World Cup, an event many expected the team to use as a revenge mechanism after crashing out of the 1999 world cup semi finals. Instead, South Africa failed miserably and an embarrassing miscalculation saw them lose in the round robin stage to Sri Lanka. In 2007, South Africa hosted the first World T20; with high hopes of seeing their team clinch the prize. Instead, South Africa was knocked out by a buoyant West Indies and India went on to take the title.

"We have got a left-armer, we have got pace, we have all-rounders and we have spin," said Graeme Smith. "All our bases are covered," boasted the South African captain.

He's not too far off the mark, given the team's performance over the last year which has included one day series' victories against Australia at home and away. For the first time, the team goes into a tournament being ranked as the number one side in the world. They also enter the competition with something they can't really they have always had in abundance: a hoard of fans who really believe in the team.

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A television advert depicts Graeme Smith striking the ball firmly through the screen. "Let us be the ones to make dreams come true," declares the solemn voice. Even though the advert is for a corporate brand, the national cricket captain has made many fans' dreams a reality when the beat Australia in a test series Down Under. The impossible suddenly became possible and fans were given a reason to place faith in the team. The subsequent hammering the team suffered at the hands of that same Australian side in the return series in South Africa has been virtually erased from the minds of South African fans.

So has the infamous grand choke at the world T20 in June, where South Africa succumbed to eventual winners Pakistan, by seven runs. The relationship the national cricket side now has with their supporters is a romantic one: only the best times are reminisced about, the rest can be swept under the carpet.

Perhaps those same gracious supporters will also forget that South Africa have been knocked out of the previous three Champions Trophies by the West Indies (in 2006) and India (in 2004 and 2002) so their record in this competition is not particularly pleasing. The good news for the hosts is that they don't have to face either of those two teams in the group stage of this year's competition.

Even if they did, the West Indies don't pose the same threat they did when they knocked South Africa out of previous competitions and the second string side they have Caribbean countries have compiled are considered to be whipping boys of this year's event. India are one of the stronger sides going into the event, and South Africa may well be banking on a semi-final or final place against the team ranked number two in the world, just one point behind the hosts.

That point may be the driving force behind team India and South Africa should be wary of their sub continental opponents. MS Dhoni though said he "doesn't care" about the rankings system and even if it didn't exist, the team would still have to play well for their country.

It's that very ranking system that has added a different dimension to the South African approach to the Trophy. Despite topping the rankings, South Africa did not receive a single nomination of the ICC awards and the team and more so, the country's media, consider this a "snub" from cricket's governing body.

One reporter said the team were so insulted that they would use this as motivation to win the trophy and prove that the awards are a "load of bollocks. The team has admitted that they would like to use the competition to prove themselves, but have steered away from calling the awards anything too derogatory. Instead, they've heaped praise on themselves, with Dale Steyn saying "I really believe no side can match us at the Champions Trophy."

What the fans are hoping, though, is that their team finally takes their chokers tag and wrings it out on that washing line so tightly that they will never be labelled that again.

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