Ireland v South Africa: Barry Richards, Mike Procter, Graeme Pollock, Eddie Barlow, Peter Kirsten, Peter Pollock, Ken McEwan, Garth Le Roux. These are just a few of South Africa's lost generation, a cohort of hugely talented players who were frozen out of international cricket in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of the apartheid ban.

To this list can be added those who went a stage further, leaving the country to earn their living elsewhere. Men like Alan Lamb, and Robin and Chris Smith fulfilled residency qualifications to play for England, and, in Kepler Wessels' case, Australia.

"The world was poorer for not seeing those players," says Ireland coach Adrian Birrell, "and there were plenty more who they had never heard of, like Henry Fotheringham and Jimmy Cook, who were also fantastic players."

Birrell played his entire career in the period of isolation. "It was only toward the end of the apartheid years that we realised that something immoral was going on within the country, and that those sanction years were absolutely right. It was then that we woke up to the wrongs of the past."

It is testimony to the strength of the game in South Africa that it sits at number one on the world One-Day International (ODI) ratings, despite still suffering from an exodus of talent.

Just this week, promising batsman Jaques Rudolph announced he is to play for Yorkshire on a three-year Kolpak contract, giving up any chance of playing for South Africa for the next three years.

Under the Kolpak ruling, a player from a nation which shares an associate trading relationship with the EU is free to play as a professional within the EU. Since the England cricket board allows only two overseas players for each county, this ruling enables the counties to circumvent the limitation and hire foreign professionals, especially from South Africa.

"There are many players turning their back on South African cricket by going the Kolpak route," says Birrell. "If I had the talent to play for South Africa that would be the only goal in my mind. I can understand the older players, whose international careers are behind them, looking for a good pay-off. But for young guys it is difficult to justify."

The most high-profile absentee from the South African line-up is Kevin Pietersen, who left his homeland to qualify for England, claiming his opportunities in South Africa were limited due to the quota system, which positively discriminates in favour of black players.

"The quota system is really a thing of the past," says Birrell. "There are enough cricketers in the system of all races to push for places on merit. You are always aware that there is a pressure to produce cricketers of colour, and that is on-going."

Birrell has built the Ireland team in the image of today's opponents. Load the side with batting, offer plenty of bowling options and field brilliantly.

Birrell, like his friend and counterpart today, Mickey Arthur the South Africa coach, demands that every player excel in at least two of the three core disciplines.

A look at the South Africa line-up shows how daunting the task is for Ireland today.

Five of their players are averaging over 40 in this tournament. In Jacques Kallis they have arguably the most complete batsman in cricket. In the group stages of this World Cup, Herschelle Gibbs became the first man to hit six sixes in an over, against Ireland's fellow Associates, the Netherlands. According to the ICC ratings, Shaun Pollock is far and away the number one bowler in ODIs this year.

They, along with New Zealand and Sri Lanka, are the only real threat to Australia.

The difference between the sides is not just on the pitch, it is in the bank balances of the players. South Africa have ended the ICC year, which runs from April to March, as the leading one-day country in the world.

As a result they receive $175,000 from the ICC. South Africa won 15 out of 21 ODIs running into this tournament. It is the first time any side has overtaken Australia in the ICC's ODI championship table since the listings began in October 2002.

Ireland's all-rounder Andre Botha played much of his club cricket with SA coach Arthur and is familiar with many of the present side from his days in the provincial game.

"I know most of them," says Botha, who feels his former colleagues have a good chance of going all the way. "The side that wins the World Cup is always the team that peaks later in the tournament," he says. "They got away from the Sri Lanka game with a win, and if they can continue that momentum they have a very, very good chance. They bat all the way down, have lots of bowling options and they never give up. They always have the ability to make something happen."

Birrell agrees. "I'm a huge fan of South African cricket," he says. "Beyond our game, I really, really hope they go on and win the World Cup."