India, Feb. 8 -- South Africa and the World Cup have a complicated relationship. On paper, they are always a champion unit. Serious pace, silky batters, athletic fielders, and an allround depth that makes other teams squint nervously. In reality however, they tend to end the same way almost every time - a brave run, a cruel moment, a postmortem, and a collective sigh that can be heard from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

So what would it actually take for South Africa to finally win a World Cup? Not an analytical, soul-searching piece. Just a light, honest look at the ingredients that might-might-finally flip the script.

First and foremost, making peace with the fact that they have not won a World Cup yet. The knockout defeats of 2023 and 20...