Faf Du Plessis has made it known that he wants back into the Proteas setup for the Cricket World Cup in India and he might just be the missing piece of the team's batting puzzle.
It is easy to see where Du Plessis slots into this Proteas top order right now.
Du Plessis might just be the best player available to come in at first drop for this Proteas team in the pressure cooker of the World Cup.
The Proteas could well employ a policy of picking three right-handers and three left-handers to staff their top six.
It makes sense to have Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma continue their fruitful opening partnership in the format.
Currently, the team’s real weak-spot is what happens when Bavuma is dismissed.
The Proteas have some very good options to fill the No 3 or No 4 role in the form of Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks.
Hendricks and Markram might both prefer to open the batting though which gives Du Plessis an edge over them.
Markram would be a tough player to leave out of the team, given his great form at home this summer and ever-improving bowling, but questions remain about his ability to deliver in the fifty-over format under pressure.
Another name deserving of mention is Janneman Malan, who tore up the format not so long ago but has struggled for game-time more recently and might not make the World Cup squad at all.
Ideally the Proteas will want to use their three standout left-handers De Kock, Rilee Rossouw and David Miller as much as possible, but among the right-handers the places don’t seem to be set in stone.
Tony De Zorzi and Ryan Rickleton are the clear next in lines after those three even, but both could do with more runs in Green and Gold.
Heinrich Klaasen should be the Proteas No 5 as underlined by his batting against the West Indies.
Rassie van der Dussen is the player that would probably have to make way for Du Plessis.
The unfortunate thing is that the Proteas will now have few opportunities to test out new combinations before the world cup unless they are forced into the qualifying tournament by Ireland.
Faf du Plessis might just be the surprise pick that gets the Proteas in the frame for ICC Cricket World Cup glory in 2023.
His experience and excellent white-ball form couple with renowned tenacity would make him a banker for this national side.
