The Proteas play two vital ODIs against the Dutch up in the Highveld as they look to automatically qualify for the World Cup. Mike Procter and Vernon Philander look forward to the two-game series.
The pressure is well and truly on the Proteas as their quest to automatically qualify for the fifty-over World Cup continues against the Netherlands. This is a continuation of the three-match series that was postponed in November 2021 after the Omicron Covid scare.
In terms of permutations, it’s pretty simple for the Proteas:
- South Africa must win both games to give themselves the best chance of qualifying for the competition.
- Even if they do win this series 2-0, Ireland could still pip them to the final automatic qualification place if they beat Bangladesh 3-0 in May.
- If Ireland win two of those games then the Proteas will either need to win one game and tie or NR the other.
- If Sri Lanka win their remaining ODI in New Zealand then the above scenario will also apply.
Some things to keep in mind heading into this series is that several Dutch stars will be missing out here. Colin Ackermann, Brandon Glover and Bas de Leede have county cricket commitments while Roelof van der Merwe is a late withdrawal. Logan van Beek is playing first-class cricket for Wellington in New Zealand and will also be unavailable.
Vernon Philander reckons that the Proteas should breeze to pretty straightforward wins against the Dutch. “I think we can expect a dominant performance from South Africa. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje will really set the tone for South Africa. And of course, the shorter the format the nearer the teams are to one another. I just feel that the fifty-overs may just be a bit too long for the Netherlands to keep pace with South Africa,” said Philander.
He would go on to say “I reckon that with the firepower that South Africa has in both the batting and bowling departments, we should expect a dominant performance from the home side.”
Mike Procter echoed these sentiments but warned against complacency with memories of South Africa’s shock T20 World Cup exit still fresh in the mind.
He said:
Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klaasen make up a batting unit as strong as you could wish for in World Cricket. Added to that, Nortje and Rabada are two of the best fast bowlers around at the moment and will spearhead a very good attack.
The first ODI gets underway at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Friday 31 March at 13:00 while the second game will be played at the Wanderers on Sunday 2 March at 10:00.
