Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
A lot more at stake than ODI series win
THE PROTEAS are now into the final stretch of their preparations for the World Cup.
At the beginning of the summer, coach Ottis Gibson and convener of selectors Linda Zondi both expressed a desire to play their first-choice 15 against Sri Lanka.
The islanders are next on the menu for the Proteas, which makes this five-part meeting with tempestuous Pakistan a last chance saloon for some players.
Some who looked set to be heading to the UK for the World
Cup may well see their dreams end within the next fortnight.
And, what is more, they will know. Deep down a player always knows when he hasn’t done quite enough to convince the selectors that he is the man for the job.
Even now, at this very late stage, the Proteas still have some key decisions to make. They are the kind of decisions that can determine how far they go in England. It really has become that serious, that urgent.
On that premise alone, the next two weeks will be very tricky for those on the cut line.
David Miller was in a similar place back in 2011, and just missed out. It was a bitter pill to swallow and he took some time to get over it. Happily for Miller, he emerged as a better player and a stronger character. He was a distinguished member of the 2015 squad that went to the semi-finals.
Similarly, in 2015, there was a pocket of players who felt hard done by, players who had grafted all the yards required and then been left out on a hunch – on a feeling that they might not be up to it.
It is those players that will be looking to be on the right side of the selectors’ gut feeling. It is a miserable thing to miss a World Cup and the Proteas need every man in their 15 to be the very best option.
England, cast as strong favourites, already know their starting line-up and are now trying their best to not sound too chipper about what is to come.
Of course, nothing is won on paper, so their excellent squad and potential will count for very little when it comes down to the crunch. They were similarly favoured in 2017 for the Champions Trophy. That is, until they had their balloon popped by the cheeky Pakistan side that had done the same to the Proteas.
That is exactly why Mickey Arthur’s side are the best preparation for South Africa right now. They have scant regard for reputations and records, and thrive on being cast as the underdog.
They almost play down their own range of talents and then strike with little warning. They are a startling bunch to observe because they are every bit as consumed by the game as their neighbours India. Every ball is an occasion and the noise they make when they are on top remains one of the game’s most joyous soundtracks.
At some stage in this series, they will expect to put the Proteas under the cosh. They will expect to do a whole lot better in this series than they did in the Tests.
And they may well look at South Africa’s late scramble for places as a window left ajar for them to steal in and plunder. It only needs to be left a little open for Pakistan to take over a match.
And if any of the World Cup hopefuls within the Proteas can repel that Pakistani persistence and thrive, then they will go a long way towards securing their seat on the plane to the UK. There is a series to win, sure, but there is a lot, lot more on the line for several players.
The first ODI at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth starts at 1pm today (coverage: SABC 3, SuperSport).