Proteas out to atone for Test failure
You have to find your feet as early as possible in a series like this – AB
AB DE VILLIERS and Eoin Morgan appeared confident and relaxed ahead of a highstakes one-day international series that for both teams carries a level of importance that is not usually the case with a bilateral limited overs series.
While redemption may not be foremost in the thoughts of the South African players after the loss in the Test series, it would lend the summer a semblance of respectability should they emerge triumphant over the next fortnight.
For Morgan’s English side, their growth as an ODI unit will be measured against a team that, ICC tournaments aside, shows remarkable consistency in the 50-over format.
On home soil SA has a formidable record, losing just five of the last 22 ODI series they’ve played stretching back to 2006.
In the last couple of years their batting has been intimidating, with a powerful top seven able to switch between absorbing pressure and rapidly enforcing their dominance through smart running between the wickets and thunderous strokeplay.
Morgan was firm in stating he felt SA remained ahead of his team tactically, but the gap was closing fast.
How fast, will be determined over the course of five matches, the first of which will be played at the Mangaung Oval today.
The Morgan who addressed the media yesterday stood in stark contrast to the one who spoke in the wake of England’s calamitous exit at last year’s World Cup.
That 2015 version of the England captain couldn’t wait to get on the plane and lock himself in his home; this year’s Morgan is champing at the bit to have a go at the Proteas, and has an endless supply of personnel at his disposal, all of whom are seemingly in good form.
“It creates a problem, when guys are scoring, over who to leave out,” said Morgan.
“But you want that in the lead up to world tournaments, because we don’t want just 11 or 13 players… we’re trying to get to 17 players who are pushing for places at any given time.”
Last Saturday’s dismantling of SA A by 163 runs saw James Taylor score a century and Jonny Bairstow make a 30-ball 58, and neither of them can assume they’ll be in the starting line-up today.
The same goes for the bowlers, with Chris Jordan and Reece Topley taking three wickets each but neither is sure of a berth with Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes waiting in the wings.
It’s a treasure trove of riches and will help off-set that home-ground advantage SA has entrenched in ODIs here in the last decade.
“One advantage with our group now is that there are quite a few of the guys who were in the Test team, so they’ve been here a while and can share information about what they’ve learned here,” commented Morgan.
There is one injury concern, with opener Jason Roy suffering back spasms on Monday and facing the possibility of a fitness test before play.
SA has to carefully weigh up the balance of their attack alongside the need to rest and “‘manage” the workloads of Kagiso Rabada and Morné Morkel.
De Villiers would love to have the problem that Morgan and England are sitting with, regarding his bowlers, but with so many injuries, SA will probably have to rely on Rabada and Morkel as they seek an early advantage in the series.
The batting has its own conundrum and it’s similar to England’s – who do SA leave out from a top seven that has performed outstandingly in recent years?
Dave Miller struggled in India, where the Proteas famously won in October and Rilee Rossouw is a strong candidate to play his first match for his country in his home town.
It’s been more than three years since SA and England last met in a ODI series and that ended 2-2 in the United Kingdom.
The last 50-over encounter was the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 where England trounced a Proteas side that suffered another of its infamous mental meltdowns.
All indications are, that this series will be a close one.
“We haven’t played each other for a while, but we know what to expect, we have enough footage on them, as they do of us – there won’t be any surprises,” remarked De Villiers.
“You have to find your feet as early as possible in a series like this and we will try and adapt quickly to get some momentum going.”