South Africa vs. West Indies 1st ODI: Date, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

South Africa and West Indies kick off their five-match ODI series at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday. After losing the Twenty20 series 1-2, South Africa will be looking to bounce back and build some momentum ahead of the Cricket World Cup.

Date: Friday, Jan. 17

Start time: 11:30 a.m. GMT (1:30 p.m. local time)

TV and live stream: SuperSport (South Africa), TEN Cricket (India), PTV Sports (Pakistan), Orbit Show Network (Middle East), Willow TV (USA), Sky Sports (UK)

Weather: Accuweather.com has given the all-clear for Friday's ODI. A few scattered thundershowers are possible, but with a little bit of luck, it will miss the ground. 

Overview 

After being hammered in the T20 series against the West Indies, South Africa will be hoping that their big-name players can turn their fortunes around in the five-match ODI series starting on Friday. The Proteas will bring back the big guns with Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel all returning for the 50-over contest.

The series is crucial for both sides as it serves as the final push in World Cup preparation before the tournament kicks off next month. The two teams are in the same World Cup group and will play each other again on 27 February, so this offers an opportunity for both to fully assess each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

For South Africa, this also offers a crucial opportunity to see how Morne van Wyk does in the 50-over format. He scored a ton in the third and final T20 against the West Indies on Wednesday night and will be hoping he can build on his good form. Although he is not in the World Cup squad, he is on standby should Quinton de Kock not recover.

It’s also South Africa’s last chance to really work on their death bowling.

The latter part of the bowling innings has been a cause for concern for some time now, and the Proteas have called for back-up help. Former South African bowler Charl Langeveldt linked up with the team at the start of the T20 series and will stick with them throughout the one-day series to help the bowlers get to grips with their plans and execution.

A win in the first match will be a big boost for South Africa, both in context of the series and for the upcoming World Cup.

Key players

South Africa

AB de Villiers is South Africa’s best batsman, and his ability to adapt to a situation is extraordinary. He averaged 73.25 in 2014, including six fifties and two hundreds, and had his highest-ever average strike-rate in a calendar year.

West Indies

As the new captain of the West Indies ODI team, Jason Holder has his work cut out for him. He’s played just 21 ODIs for the Windies and has showed some early promise. Although his batting still needs improvement, he's taken 29 wickets in his 21 matches; these have come at an average of 28.65.

Squads

South Africa

AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Morne van Wyk (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn

West Indies

Jason Holder (capt), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor 

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.