Proteas in need of nerve-settling win

It would be presumptuous to suggest the Proteas cricket team are feeling the heat ahead of today’s second one-day international against England in Southampton. There’s no denying AB de Villiers’ men were comprehensively outplayed by the hosts on Wednesday, when they lost by 72 runs at Headingley. The Proteas looked decidedly short of game time as they lost the first match of the three-match limited overs series – effectively a warm-up series ahead of next week’s start of the Champions Trophy in England.

Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis were the only batsmen that looked in touch with their games, while there was nothing much to write home about when it came to the bowlers.

De Villiers, such an important part of the national set-up, may have made 45 on Wednesday, but his lack of form in the recent Indian Premier League will leave huge concerns ahead of the showpiece.

There will certainly be concerns in the South African camp as there is not much time to fine tune their skills and find their right combinations before the start of the Champions Trophy.

A win is by no means a must today, yet victory would go a long way in settling some nerves ahead of the tournament. After all, South Africa have been the dominant force in the 50-over game for just short of a year, winning 14 of their last 17 matches.