South Africa vs England 2015-16: Hosts’ likely XI for 1st ODI at Bloemfontein

Skipper AB de Villiers will look to guide his team to an ODI series win over England in order to avenge their Test defeats.

South Africa set off on their path to redemption when they take on England in the first game of the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. Having surrendered the four-Test series 1-2 to England that also caused them to lose their No. 1 Test rank, South Africa will look to escape from the transitional phase they are going through at the moment, and get back to their winning ways. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 1st ODI at Bloemfontein

While they managed to break their winless streak in Tests that went on for more than a year, they have been consistent in limited-overs, having defeated New Zealand and India in consecutive bilateral ODI series. With the kind of form that England find themselves in at the moment, South  Africa will have to be careful with the team that they pick for the first ODI, a prediction of which is made below according to batting order:

Top-order (1-3):  Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock have been a consistent opening pair for South Africa in ODIs, and are likely to stick. Both Amla and de Kock have displayed stellar form in the recent Test series, and will be expected to get their side off to a good start in the 50-over format as well. PREVIEW: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 1st ODI at Bloemfontein

Faf du Plessis was axed due to his non-performance in the Test series, but remains a crucial addition to the team in limited-overs, having been crowned the ICC Twenty20 Player of the Year in the recent ICC awards. However, his form in the series will be scrutinised, and will be liable to get axed if he notches up a couple of poor scores.

Middle-order (4-7): Skipper AB de Villiers has a massive task of getting back to form after getting dismissed for three consecutive ducks in the recent Test series. However, de Villiers continues to be a nightmare for bowlers in coloured clothing and his presence will be a constant source of worry for the England attack. There are various contenders for the South African middle-order, with the presence of the likes of David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Rilee Rossouw and JP Duminy in the squad.

While Behardien trumps over Duminy in terms of recent all-round performance, there would be a bit of a tussle between Miller and Rossouw for the No. 5 slot. It remains to be seen who the team management ultimately go for in the final XI. Rossouw missed out on the tour of India due to injury, and will be itching to make a comeback into the South African side. As far as the No. 7 slot is concerned, David Wiese has proved himself to be handy as a batsman down the order, as well as a medium-pacer.

Lower-order (8-11): There is little to ponder over the selection of the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel. Rabada is in the form of a lifetime at the moment, having recorded match-winning figures of 13 for 144 to help South Africa pull off a 280-run win in the fourth and final Test at Centurion. In the absence of pace spearhead Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, it will be upto Morne Morkel to lead the pace attack. Imran Tahir should find his place in the team as the specialist spinner, and Marchant de Lange should be able to send a few thunderbolts down the track in the absence of Kyle Abbott.

South Africa likely XI for 1st ODI: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, David Miller/Rilee Rossouw, Farhaan Behardien, David Wiese, Kagiso Rabada, Marchant de Lange, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel.

(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)

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