Johannesburg — South Africa may not yet be certain of their automatic qualification to the 50-overs World Cup in India later this year, but they are giving themselves the best opportunity of formulating a squad capable of lifting the trophy.
The upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies, starting at Buffalo Park on Thursday at 1pm, does not form part of the World Super League with no qualification points on offer.
The brainstrust, led for the first time by new coach Rob Walter, has therefore cast the net far and wide with the inclusion of some of South Africa’s hottest young talent.
Four uncapped players have been included in the squad, fast bowler Gerald Coetzee and batters Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs.
They are, of course, not entirely rookies on the international circuit with Stubbs having had a taste of T20 International cricket, while Coetzee, Rickelton and De Zorzi all played a part in the recent Test series success over the Windies.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma is looking forward to seeing how the youngsters form part of the team’s long-term World Cup plans during this series against the West Indies.
“It is obviously a fresh start for the ODI team. The first time the guys are really interacting face-to-face with Rob,” Bavuma said at Buffalo Park.
“We are using this opportunity against the West Indies to refine the way we are playing. Our priority is always to win the series, but with that we will be trying to broaden our base, so we will be seeing some new faces and see how they will fit in going forward. You can expect to see some debutants.
“The guys that have been added to our squad, they have been part of our plans. It's great that they have done well in the Test series, and hopefully they can build on that confidence in the one-day series.”
The Proteas preparations have already been disrupted with the withdrawal of Keshav Maharaj (Achilles injury) and Wiaan Mulder (side strain), but now Wayne Parnell is also struggling with a bout of flu, Sisanda Magala has split the webbing on his right hand and Andile Phehlukwayo has back spasms.
This could indeed force Walter to get the newbies in the starting XI quicker than might be expected, although not at the expense of surrendering the series.
"You want to keep the good thing going and with that said, we can't ignore the fact that it's a big year from a 50-over perspective," Bavuma said.
"We want to widen the pool and give guys an opportunity and even with the new guys coming in, it's not a factor of us compromising our desire to win the series.
"We still want to win the series, but it's even better when you have the new faces come in under pressure and uncertainty, from where they put in the winning performances."
The Proteas are equally not regular visitors to East London, and with the Border provincial team also playing in Division 2, the majority of the squad would not have had much experience of the surface and conditions expected at Buffalo Park.
South Africa’s last ODI there was against Bangladesh back in 2017, although they did play a T20I against England in 2020 just before the advent of Covid-19.
Bavuma understands the conditions will be equally foreign to his players, as they will be for the West Indies, but expects his team to adapt accordingly.
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“We don’t get to play a lot of cricket down here in East London. The last time I played here was in 2020. But in terms of the conditions, we have tried to speak to as many people as we could,” Bavuma said.
“They have all expressed the same sentiments that the wicket is on the slower side. This wicket in particular looks that way, whether it turns or not, I cannot say.
“We have tried to prepare as well as we can, and in terms of both batters and bowlers, we will need to adjust accordingly. What will be important is how we evaluate things out there in the middle on the day.
“We are excited to be back here in East London. The support is always good, which creates a good atmosphere. We’re looking to soak that all in.”
Proteas first and second ODIs squad against West Indies: Temba Bavuma (capt), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen