Proteas prepared for big occasion

Victory against Pakistan in the World Twenty20 at Trent Bridge will carry Graeme Smith's team to within one match of adding this title to the Champions Trophy they won at their first attempt 11 years ago. World Cup near misses have proliferated for South Africa in the intervening years, but coach Mickey Arthur believes he has a team capable of getting it right this time.

"We didn't start planning a month ago - we started this planning a year ago," he said. "We started discussing it when we were over here (in England for a Test and limited-overs series) last year."

It was then that Arthur, Smith and Co cracked on to the growing importance of spin bowling in the shortest format.

In a conspicuous break with their pace-oriented past, South Africa now have five spin options in their squad - and it has made them highly effective.

"We were privileged to see on television quite a bit of the domestic (English) Twenty20 - and we saw spin bowlers having quite a good effect in the competition," Arthur recalled.

"It all came to fruition through the Australian (one-day international) series, where we identified pace off the ball against them was certainly one way of getting amongst them."

The theory can only work with the right manpower, however - and in Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe, among others, Arthur is grateful to have the right personnel.

"All credit to our spinners for coming in and doing the job," he said. "Yes, we've backed them - but you can only do that for so long. You need performances, and our guys have given us that. They've really made those positions their own."