Confident SA bank on feel-good factor

When Dale Steyn screams, you know it. When Rilee Rossouw flings himself forward to save a run, you know it. When Imran Tahir runs halfway across the city in celebration, you definitely know it. South Africa believe.

"In eight days we could be world champions," David Miller said. When this tournament began, that milestone was eight weeks away. Not only is it much closer now, it is the closest South Africa have ever been. They have been semi-finalists before, but only in tournaments without a preceding quarter-final round. They have already made history with their first ever win in a knockout match.

That alone has buoyed them. "It means everything to me," Miller said. "It's the first World Cup for me and it's a dream come true. To play a semi-final is going to be out of this world. It's actually a privilege to be in that position. The guys have worked really hard in their careers with all their highs and lows and it comes down to a moment like this. A lot of people dream for a moment like this. We have the opportunity to actually be there."

In tournaments past, the pressure caused by pre-tournament expectations, Miller described, has been too much for South Africa. This time, they are finding a way to thrive on it. "This team has a lot of fresh guys in the side - young guys who haven't been to World Cups before, so we don't have a lot of baggage behind us," Miller said.

One of those is Kyle Abbott, who has lifted South Africa every time he has been included in the XI, and can also sense the buoyancy. "In the last couple of days there almost seems to be a spring in our step that actually can do it," Abbott said. "After all the critics and everyone saying that we can't, it's gone the other way. I don't think guys are going to sit back. I think this is going to take us to the next step and just believe even more that whatever the conditions and whoever the opposition is that we can do it."

Leading that sense of self-belief is AB de Villiers, who inspires with the bat almost as much as he does behind the scenes. "AB's hunger to succeed and his passion for the team is contagious. The guys are biting on to that," Abbott said.

"We showed every bit of that on Wednesday: commitment in the field, diving for the balls. Rilee was outstanding at backward point, making efforts for balls that he was probably never going to get there but at least he knows now that he made an effort and couldn't get there. That's what AB asked from us. He said he wants us to create chances and that's what we did. We gave ourselves every chance the other night. It's just a confidence thing now that we actually can do it and take it to the next level."

To move another rung up on the ladder to success, South Africa are pulling out all the stops. For the semi-final, all the consultants they have roped in for this tournament have been collected together to form a mega brains-trust.

Gary Kirsten, who is on a 50-day-a-year deal and was with the team ahead of the match against India a month ago, is back. Michael Hussey, who also spent a few days with team before both the India match and the quarter-final, is also back. Mike Horn, who joined up ahead of the quarter-final, has stayed on. And in an extended training session on Sunday morning, which stretched to almost four hours, Mark O'Donnell, the former New Zealand assistant coach who has worked in South Africa with the Eastern Province and Gauteng sides and is now part of Auckland's structures, was also there.

O'Donnell was mostly catching up with old friends but may also have been passing some insider tips on how to counter New Zealand's approach of all-out aggression. South Africa seem to be working on a defensive strategy with bat in hand in the early stages before counterattacking later on.

"They're really good with nipping the ball. I don't think they give the opposition much in the first 10 overs. So, it's about absorbing as much as we can and limiting the damage in the first 10 overs," Miller said.

He won't be doing much of that, though. As one of the middle-order men, Miller was practicing the second element, specifically targeting the short, straight boundaries. "Hopefully I can mishit a few straight sixes," he joked, before explaining he will be careful not to get too carried away. "It's all coming down to the crunch moment now so soon there will be a lot more pressure put on this game. It's just another game, as they say, which is obviously cliched but it's about pulling in your emotions and doing the job."

For South Africa, that job is believing like they have never believed before.