AB de Villiers-less South Africa go into Australia series with a point to prove

South Africa returned to One-Day International (ODI) cricket for the first time after three months as they decimated Ireland by 206 runs in their one-off ODI. South Africa gave debuts to as many as three players, but it was Temba Bavuma, who stole the show by scoring his maiden century on his debut. They did not have their regular skipper AB de Villiers to lead them and will not have his services at least till the three-Test series in Australia after this ODI series. Not having de Villiers for the series against the mighty Aussies is a huge blow, but South Africa will have to learn to survive without their talismanic leader.

Captain Faf?

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While South Africa in doubt will find it tough to cope without de Villiers, his deputy Faf du Plessis has been doing a fine job. He led the team in the Test series against New Zealand and also the ODI against Ireland. With de Villiers unfit, Faf will have to fill his shoes once again, but this could turn out to be his biggest challenge. Not many have eased past the mighty Australians in ODIs and despite playing at home, South Africa will find it hard to ease past their opponents. Du Plessis has led South Africa in just four ODIs till date and all the time he has filled in for his regular skipper. It will be a humongous challenge to lead his side in an entire ODI series or an entire tour. De Villiers will also miss the Test series Down, having failed the fitness test. Du Plessis certainly has his task cut out. Australia have been a strong Test side at home, this series will be no different. South Africa will have to bank on their experienced players to come good in the upcoming ODI series as well as the Test.

The squad

With Bavuma, Andlie Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius making their debuts against Ireland, there is isn’t a single uncapped player in the squad. But the challenge that lies ahead of them is completely different. South Africa will not want to experiment against Australia, and unless someone is injured, they will go in with their best XI in every match, which means some of the big guns like Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla and even Kyle Abbott perhaps returning to the team. South Africa will no doubt have a stronger team upon their return, but Australia will surely be up for the task. We may see Bavuma retain his place since de Viliers will not play, with du Plessis and Amla taking additional responsibilities in the middle-order slot. It is a good ploy to have given a few young guns a go against Ireland, but their appearance could be limited to just that game.

Current form

South Africa fared poorly in the tri-nation series in the Caribbean. Before the tri-nation series, South Africa won the home series against England 3-2. They also won the ODI series in India by the same margin. In the series against England, both Quinton de Kock and de Villiers were South Africa’s star performers with the bat. De Kock hit two tons, de Villiers and Amla chipped in with one. But in the tri-nation series that followed, the South Africans did not show up. Barring Amla with the bat and Imran Tahir with the ball, nobody really put their hands up and as a result the Proteas did not qualify for the final.

South Africa have won their last two bilateral ODI series and despite an ordinary show in the tri-nation series, they should be able to put up a good show in the ODI series against Australia.

Players to watch out for

Kagiso Rabada: Rabada won the South Africa cricketer of the year for his incredible show across formats last year. If he can keep up the performances from last year, he will surely cause some damages in Australia’s batting line-up. He will be bowling in tandem with Dale Steyn in the opening stages of the innings and it will be a wonderful sight for the neutrals watching, but Australia, who will have to face their wrath may not enjoy it. Steyn is yet to play an ODI this year and will be hungrier than ever to prove his worth again. Rabada has already made a promising beginning to the year. He has already picked up 17 wickets in 11 matches at 23 and at a good economy rate of 4.72. After Steyn, Rabada will be South Africa’s attacking  option.

Quinton de Kock: De Kock has been in brilliant form with the bat lately and he will be entrusted to score heavily at the top. He scored 82 against Ireland and is off to a good start on this tour. He is most likely to open with Bavuma once again in the series against Australia. De Villiers absence could mean that Amla will play at No. 3, with du Plessis and JP Duminy to follow. De Kock has a brilliant conversion rate, with 10 centuries and 7 fifties in ODIs already. He will make the opposition pay, if he gets off to a good start.

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South Africa’s chances

The absence of de Villiers is no doubt a blow to the team. To add to this, all-rounder Chris Morris too will not feature in the series as he has been ruled out for a couple of months, following a knee injury. Pretorius is South Africa’s fast bowling all-rounder and with a good domestic record, he should be able to fill in Morris’ boots when required. Australia and South Africa last met each other in the tri-nation series and are well aware of each others strengths and weaknesses. Australia will be without their premier fast bowler Mitchell Starc for this series, which gives South Africa a slight advantage. Starc has been rested for this series after his impressive show in Sri Lanka in all three formats. Daniel Worrall set to make his debut, South Africa may just be able to dictate terms a bit. But with an attack consisting of Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner and Adam Zampa, Australia will by no means be pushovers.

South Africa’s main task will be to keep the Australian batsmen quiet. South Africa’s bowling attack is a blend of youth and experience and will have to be at their very best in every game if they are to restrict the batsmen. If South Africa play to their strengths, there is no reason why they cannot pull off a win in the series.

Overall performance against Australia

South Africa have won 40 out of their 91 ODIs against Australia. Australia have their noses in front with as many as 47 wins. The story is similar when the two teams face off against each other in South Africa. The Proteas have managed to win 17 out of their 38 matches, with Australia winning 20.

Last 5 meetings

Australia are superior even on this front. Australia have won three out of the last five meetings between these two teams, with South Africa winning just one. South Africa will hope to improve their performance against Australia by the end of this series.

(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry.com. He is a sport enthusiast and a keen observer of cricket, the contests, and its personalities. When not tracking cricket, he follows the world’s soccer leagues and is somewhat partial towards Liverpool. His Twitter handle is @pramz)