Ken Borland

Anrich Nortje and an in-form Heinrich Klaasen are back in the ODI fold and Keshav Maharaj has been handed the captaincy in the absence of Temba Bavuma, but what will the Proteas want to get out of their three-match ODI series against world champions England that starts at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday afternoon?

The series does not form part of the Super League, so there are no crucial World Cup qualifying points at stake.

A settled batting line-up in both personnel and strategy

The injury to Temba Bavuma has created the opportunity for someone else to show what they can do in the top-order. Janneman Malan will want to continue his phenomenal ODI form (averaging 59 with a strike-rate of 87) as Quinton de Kock’s opening partner, while showing the ability to match his approach to the game situation.

Aiden Markram could shift into the No.3 position and have yet another chance to establish himself in the ODI team, while Reeza Hendricks and Khaya Zondo are also options. Zondo is more of a middle-order batsman for KZN, however, and so is probably competing with Rassie van der Dussen (average 71, strike-rate 88) or the in-form finishing duo of David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen for a place.

In what is perhaps a backhanded compliment, England have recalled leg-spinner Adil Rashid to their squad, and the left-handed Miller and Klaasen, arguably South Africa’s best player of spin, will be crucial in countering him.

ODI cricket is a new game these days and the Proteas batsmen have to show they are keeping up with the new strategic demands.

Fast bowlers who can make batsmen squirm

England’s batting line-up have been at the forefront of the bold new approach in ODIs. But India’s superb attack showed in their series win against them in the last week that high-quality pace bowling can defuse the threat.

The resting Kagiso Rabada will be missed, but fast bowler Nortje is back to provide the hard lengths and fiery pace that is difficult to hit, while Lungi Ngidi has been in fine form with the white ball in recent times and Marco Jansen brings left-arm heat which can be awkward.

Maharaj to avail himself of intel

Given England’s recent battering of the two teams who contested last year’s World Test Championship final – New Zealand and India – and the Proteas currently being No.1 in those standings, the Test series against England is probably the priority, especially with no Super League World Cup qualifying points at stake.

Keshav Maharaj, besides having another opportunity to showcase his captaincy skills, is probably delighted to be able to avail himself of the opportunity to get used to the English pitches. The left-arm spinner is an excellent ODI bowler, and the two wickets he took in the first over of the last warm-up against the England Lions showed what a factor he could be in the series.

De Kock the man to lead the batting

Now that he no longer has the burden of captaincy, Quinton de Kock will want to show he is the leader of the Proteas batting line-up. While his T20 form of late has been frustrating (last 6 innings, HS = 34, average 17.50, SR 110.53), he has been consistently superb in ODIs with 751 runs in his 14 innings since 2020, at an average of 53.64 and strike-rate of 101.34. The 29-year-old will want to show that he is still a man to be feared by bowlers.

Stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj leads South Africa into an ODI series against world champions England from Tuesday and he said on Monday that “For me it’s about picking up where Temba Bavuma left off, we know our strategy and philosophy as a team.”

Regular captain Bavuma will miss the entire England tour due to a torn tendon in his elbow, and the ODI fortunes of the Proteas will be watched with keen interest because it is the one format in which their performances have lagged a bit. Plus there is the unprecedented decision to forfeit three Super League World Cup qualifying matches in Australia next January.

These three ODIs in England are not part of the Super League, but they will be a good indicator of whether South Africa’s 50-over team is starting to come together with a World Cup next year.

“Relatively speaking, we have not done as well in ODIs,” Maharaj said, “but we have tried various methods and combinations and hopefully we have found our rhythm now.

“We have put in a lot of hard work in the last 12 months and hopefully we will see results now. This might not be part of the Super League, but we are still playing international cricket and representing our country.

“It’s an opportunity to play more together as a unit, and it is still an important series as we try and get those combinations right for when there are lots of important Super League points coming up.

“We are trying to build some confidence in the ODI unit, we have come a long way and this series is an opportunity to do something special as a team,” Maharaj said.

Forewarned is forearmed and hopefully the Proteas will not be shellshocked when the England batsmen launch their now trademark all-out assault on them from the start of their innings.

“England do have a very positive approach, and if conditions allow it then we can be more aggressive too. But it’s about being smart and doing what we can to negate their batting.

“England have a lot of all-rounders in their middle/lower order and they bat quite deep. We have to make sure we execute the basics, get our thinking right on the day and adapt very quickly to conditions,” Maharaj said.

The venue for the first ODI – Chester-le-Street – is in Durham, the capital of the north-east of England, and the last time the Proteas were here was in the 2019 World Cup when their pacemen cashed in on helpful conditions to bowl Sri Lanka out for 203 and win by nine wickets. It was one of their few good days in that tournament.

England will want to capitalise on the emotion of Ben Stokes, the hero of their World Cup triumph, playing his last ODI on his home ground, the Test captain having announced his retirement from the international 50-over format on Monday.

The aggressive approach of the English is an obvious factor the Proteas are going to have to deal with when their ODI series gets underway at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday and paceman Lungi Ngidi says South Africa will need to bring a lift of intensity to counter the home side.

England’s approach to batting seems to be to go all-out attack from the outset and 350 seems to be the par score they have in mind whatever the conditions.

“England are definitely going to put us under pressure,” Ngidi said on Sunday. “They do put bowling line-ups under pressure and we have to play with a tempo and in the way we need. Our batsmen have had to tune in and shift their mindset and they will attempt to do the same.

“Everyone is pretty much mentally ready, we know what England will bring and we’ve got to lift our intensity. As bowlers, if we can get early wickets and put their batting line-up under pressure then anything can happen.

“We played here in the World Cup and we’ve seen the conditions this week – lots of cloud cover overhead and the ball moves around a bit. That gives confidence to the bowlers,” Ngidi said.

With the batsmen coming full tilt at you as the bowler, the 26-year-old Ngidi knows he is going to have to bring all his variations to the party.

“We’ll take any assistance we can get. You try to assess the conditions and after the first two overs you know what the pitch will give you and you’ve delivered pretty much all your balls.

“If you bowl at just one pace then the batsmen get used to it, they can free their arms and get that free-flowing momentum. You play a mental game with the batsmen, especially if you can disguise your cutters well.

“I’ve practised them well and I’m confident I can use them in the powerplay. I have a senior role with the ball, I would love to lead the attack and hopefully lots of wickets will come my way,” Ngidi said.

Their opening warm-up match against the England Lions caused many to squirm after the heavy defeat they suffered, but Thursday night’s comprehensive win over the same team had batting hero Heinrich Klaasen saying the Proteas have everything in place for their ODI series against world champions England that starts on Tuesday.

The Lions – England’s version of their A side – chased down 319 in just 37.1 overs in the first match, but South Africa rebounded to beat them by 107 runs in Worcester. The Proteas again batted first and posted a formidable 360/7, but this time they only used their five frontline bowlers and bowled their opponents out for 253.

In the first match, South Africa gave eight bowlers a run and they all just bowled a handful of overs because preparation was more important than the result. But Thursday night’s clash was very much a dress rehearsal for the first ODI and was played under 11-a-side rules.

The batsmen, led by Klaasen with scores of 51 off 35 and 123 off 85, look in good shape and the likely bowling attack did well on Thursday night as well.

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from that,” Klaasen said. “They’ve given us two very good pitches to bat on, so the batsmen are smiling with a lot of confidence, and the bowling was a lot better too.

“We took the game to them and it paid off. We’ll now have a day off and then a couple of training sessions and then we’ll be good to go.

“The bowlers were able to get more of a feel of the game and the way the England Lions played was very aggressive. It was a good outing for the bowlers because the Lions played the same brand that England will use, so we know what to expect and how to adapt,” Klaasen said.

The 30-year-old Klaasen, batting at No.7 in the first game and at No.5 for his fiery century, has brought a fantastic attacking edge to the Proteas line-up. It is a continuation of the fine form he showed on the T20 tour of India, his first appearances for South Africa since October 2021.

“Hopefully I can keep riding the wave, I’m quite happy with where I am at the moment and the way I am striking the ball,” Klaasen said. “It’s about staying in the game and taking every ball as it comes.

“I’m hitting the ball nicely and I’m in a good mental space. Andile Phehlukwayo [67 off 53] joined me at an awkward stage [167/5 in 30 overs] and I was very pleased with the way we went about our partnership.

“It’s good to have Andi in form and hitting the ball so nicely. He took the pressure off me, he said I must just get to my hundred and he’ll take care of the rest,” Klaasen said.