After a convincing test series victory earlier in the month against the West Indies, Proteas head coach Rob Walter and his team head to East London to battle it out in the first of three one-day internationals.
The Proteas will come up against a new-led West Indies ODI team with Shai Hope as captain at Buffalo Park. Hope will also be in charge at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom for the decider ODI next week March 25.
Rob Walter, the new one-day international coach, takes over the ODI set-up from the stand-in ODI team coach Shukri Conrad who led the ODI team to a crucial series win against England last month. Conrad is now the head coach of the men’s test team.
Walter will be probing for a winning formula of his own to make sure that the team qualifies for the World Cup in India later this year.
Both teams have no guaranteed spot in cricket’s showpiece event as the Proteas sit in eight position and the West Indies are placed ninth on the international Cricket Councils World Cup Super League.
Only the top eight teams qualify automatically for the World Cup tournament. The remaining teams will battle it out in a qualifying tournament hosted by Zimbabwe in June and July this year.
The series taking place at Buffalo Park is expected to bring fireworks as both teams will be much-changed from the teams who took part in the test series earlier this month.
Second test match centurion Temba Bavuma, fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, top order batsman Tony de Zorzi and wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton, are the only test players retained for the Proteas in this one-day series.
Injuries to Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj see them missing out on the series. The West Indies ODI team will be led by new captain Shai Hope. He takes the reigns from Nicholas Pooran who stepped down from white-ball captaincy after a poor performance at the T20 World Cup last year.
Hope has captaincy experience as he led Barbados in the Caribbean regional 50-over competition. Fast bowlers Alazarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Shannon Gabriel and top order batsman Roston Chase and Jason Holder are the only players retained from the West Indies test side.
Buffalo Park gets its taste of international cricket again. It has been five years since the stadium last hosted international games. The last game featured the Bangladeshi side against the Proteas in October 2017.
Squads:
Proteas (ODI): Temba Bavuma (captain. DP World Lions), Gerald Coetzee (ITEC Knights), Quinton de Kock (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tony de Zorzi (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Bjorn Fortuin (DP World Lions), Reeza Hendricks (DP World Lions), Sisanda Magala (DP World Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Wiaan Mulder (DP World Lions), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Ryan Rickelton (DP World Lions), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins),Tristan Stubbs (Dafabet Warriors), Lizaad Williams (Momentum Multiply Titans), Rassie van der Dussen (DP World Lions).
West Indies (ODI): Shai Hope (captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith.
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