Mike Procter and Vernon Philander look ahead to the first ODI between the Proteas and the West Indies.
Following a convincing 2-0 in the Test series, the Proteas now turn their attention to white-ball duty. First up, three ODIs getting underway on Thursday at Buffalo Park in East London.
Hollywoodbets Brand Ambassador Mike Procter is looking forward to the contest, which will see the Windies under new captaincy and the Proteas without a few of their first-choicers.
“This will be an interesting series. Shai Hope is the new West Indian captain. He’s got a very good one-day record and leads Barbados on the domestic front. They’ve got a bit of a new-look side, so they’ll be testing the waters a bit… as will South Africa having left out Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Marco Jansen,” said Procter.
Automatic World Cup qualification will be top of mind for the Proteas, although these ODIs will not count toward Cricket World Cup Super League standings.
“It’ll be a good test for both teams who are still trying to qualify automatically for the World Cup. While this series doesn’t count toward the qualification Super League which sees the top eight-ranked sides qualify automatically. South Africa have still got to play two ODIs against the Netherlands at the end of the month, if they win that series, they’ll qualify automatically at the expense of the Windies who will then need to play through the qualifiers.”
Mike is keen to see how the team takes shape under new limited-overs coach Rob Walters. His first assignment will see his charges put through their paces on what is a traditionally tricky surface.
“South Africa’s new white-ball coach, Rob Walters, will be very keen to get to grips with his task of identifying the best 14 or 15 players to take to the World Cup, provided they qualify.
The surface in East London should be pretty interesting. It’s normally a bit on the slow side and a bit low, so the slower bowlers will probably do most of the work. But again it will depend on how the batsmen shape up. The Windies are a more formidable opponent in the limited-overs arena. They boast some dangerous bowlers who take a few quick wickets and batsmen who can score quickly.”
Vernon Philander reckons the two sides are looking evenly matched ahead of the first ODI.
“Looking at the two teams, they appear to be stacking up pretty evenly. A Couple of reinforcements come in for the Windies. Shai Hope assumes the captaincy. Nicholas Pooran is back in the mix along with left-arm spinner, Akeal Hosein. All-rounder Rovman Powell, who returns from a stint in the PSL, further bolsters the side.”
Philander is keen to see Quinton de Kock back in action in the Green and Gold. The former Proteas all-rounder is also keen to see how the side gets on without the likes of Rabada, Markram, Miller, Klaasen and Jansen.
“For South Africa, there’s a welcome return for Quinton de Kock. Temba Bavuma will be full of confidence after a magnificent century in the second Test at the Wanderers. The likes of Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen will all get opportunities in the series.”
Following Keshav Maharaj’s injury at the Wanderers, Imaad Fontuin will take up the responsibility of being the side’s frontline spinner.
The first ODI gets underway at 13:00 on Thursday 16 March at Buffalo Park in East London.
