South Africa Look Razor-Sharp but Really Need a Proper Test Before World Cup

The ICC Cricket World Cup is creeping up faster than you can say, “batting collapse in a knockout match,” and South Africa are looking super sharp. Their batsmen are in fine fettle, their bowlers have finally figured out how to bowl in the format and the fielding is top notch.

On Wednesday, they claimed a nine-wicket victory over the West Indies. That means they now have an unassailable 3-0 series lead and will probably give some of their fringe players a go in the remaining two games.

While South Africa will be delighted with their performances in the series against the West Indies, there might also be an inkling of concern.

So far, they have hardly been tested. For the most part, the Windies one-day side have hardly put up a fight. There is no doubt South Africa boasts some of the best batting talent that will grace the stage at the World Cup. On paper, they are strong contenders, but heading into a tournament without being pushed to their limits could mean that the Proteas are somewhat undercooked.

Grouped with India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates, South Africa are expected to progress. The conditions favour them more than any other team in their group, but not all of their players have had a proper practice run.

Add to that the fact that Quinton de Kock has not returned to fitness and will not have played a competitive fixture by the time the World Cup begins and there certainly are a few areas of concern for South Africa.

Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers have been immense with the bat. They are, without a doubt, South Africa’s trump cards. But David Miller has batted in just two innings while both JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien have batted just once. This could very well change in the final two games, but considering just how weak the West Indies are, South Africa will not really know the strength of their depth.

During their recent one-day tour to Australia, some of South Africa’s weaknesses in the batting department were exposed. Just one player, De Villiers, averaged above 50.00 during their five-match series last year. Although it’s unlikely that the Proteas will suffer a brief collective loss of form once again, the fact that some of their key lower-order players have not had some time in the middle will be a concern.

There is not much South Africa could have done about making sure their preparations were planned better. They certainly could not have planned for the West Indies omitting Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo from their squad. For now, South Africa have to simply make do with what they’ve got.

South Africa have two more warm-up matches to come after the series against the West Indies concludes. When they arrive in New Zealand, they will play Sri Lanka and the Black Caps on 9 and 11 February, respectively. The Proteas will be hoping that one of the two teams provides a slightly sterner test than the men from the Caribbean have, because you can never be too prepared.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.