<p>South Africa regained first place in the world one-day rankings yesterday after Australia lost to England and the Graeme Smith-led side confront Sri Lanka at Centurion Park in the opening match.<br />"I believe that this team has played fantastic one-day and Test cricket in the last year and we have really hit our straps," Steyn told reporters ahead of the second most prestigious ODI tournament after the World Cup.<br /><br />"If the team play to their potential, and this might sound cocky, I really believe no side can match us at the Champions Trophy."<br />Steyn does not give a Sri Lankan team, considered dangerous outsiders in the race for the two-million-dollar first prize, much hope of causing an upset in a day-night fixture.<br /><br />"They have not been here for a long time apart from those players who came for the Indian Premier League and that was during winter when the ball was not doing a lot and it was Twenty20 cricket."<br />South Africa crave success in the Champions Trophy to confirm what the rankings have been saying for some time - that they are a class act when it comes to the 50-over game. <br /><br />The least expected of Smith and his squad is that they qualify for the October 5 final and many South Africans would dream that bitter rivals Australia provide the opposition and are conquered.<br />Sri Lanka are good enough to lift the trophy even if it is title holders Australia, South Africa and India who are most commonly mentioned as likely winners.<br />Supreme spinner Muttiah Muralitharan needs no introduction and fast medium-pacer Nuwan Kulasekara sat atop the world bowling rankings last week with his famous team-mate sixth.<br />However, batting could be the Sri Lankan Achilles heel with senior figure Mahela Jayawardene conceding they have been "patchy and inconsistent" in that department at ODI level.<br />Minus injured Herschelle Gibbs, the Proteas still boast a formidable array of batsmen with Smith, veteran Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy in the vanguard.<br />Add the pace and swing of Steyn, Wayne Parnell and Kallis and the spin of Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe, who captured four wickets in a warm-up win over the West Indies, and there are solid foundations for optimism.<br />Pessimists will raise the word that makes Smith see red - chokers - and also express alarm that the team is going into the tournament without a competitive fixture since April.<br />The 'chokers' tag emanates from reaching eight ICC semi-finals and winning just one - by 92 runs against Sri Lanka in the inaugural Champions Trophy 11 years ago in Bangladesh. <br /></p>
<p>South Africa regained first place in the world one-day rankings yesterday after Australia lost to England and the Graeme Smith-led side confront Sri Lanka at Centurion Park in the opening match.<br />"I believe that this team has played fantastic one-day and Test cricket in the last year and we have really hit our straps," Steyn told reporters ahead of the second most prestigious ODI tournament after the World Cup.<br /><br />"If the team play to their potential, and this might sound cocky, I really believe no side can match us at the Champions Trophy."<br />Steyn does not give a Sri Lankan team, considered dangerous outsiders in the race for the two-million-dollar first prize, much hope of causing an upset in a day-night fixture.<br /><br />"They have not been here for a long time apart from those players who came for the Indian Premier League and that was during winter when the ball was not doing a lot and it was Twenty20 cricket."<br />South Africa crave success in the Champions Trophy to confirm what the rankings have been saying for some time - that they are a class act when it comes to the 50-over game. <br /><br />The least expected of Smith and his squad is that they qualify for the October 5 final and many South Africans would dream that bitter rivals Australia provide the opposition and are conquered.<br />Sri Lanka are good enough to lift the trophy even if it is title holders Australia, South Africa and India who are most commonly mentioned as likely winners.<br />Supreme spinner Muttiah Muralitharan needs no introduction and fast medium-pacer Nuwan Kulasekara sat atop the world bowling rankings last week with his famous team-mate sixth.<br />However, batting could be the Sri Lankan Achilles heel with senior figure Mahela Jayawardene conceding they have been "patchy and inconsistent" in that department at ODI level.<br />Minus injured Herschelle Gibbs, the Proteas still boast a formidable array of batsmen with Smith, veteran Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy in the vanguard.<br />Add the pace and swing of Steyn, Wayne Parnell and Kallis and the spin of Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe, who captured four wickets in a warm-up win over the West Indies, and there are solid foundations for optimism.<br />Pessimists will raise the word that makes Smith see red - chokers - and also express alarm that the team is going into the tournament without a competitive fixture since April.<br />The 'chokers' tag emanates from reaching eight ICC semi-finals and winning just one - by 92 runs against Sri Lanka in the inaugural Champions Trophy 11 years ago in Bangladesh. <br /></p>