Proteas shift attention to ODIs against England after disappointing Test series loss

After they suffered a disappointing 3-1 Test series loss to England‚ Proteas shift their focus to the ODIs with selfsame opponents starting at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday.

After they suffered a disappointing 3-1 Test series loss to England‚ Proteas shift their focus to the ODIs with selfsame opponents starting at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday.

They assemble in the Mother City this weekend to start preparations for the first of three matches and coach Mark Boucher and new captain Quinton de Kock welcomes new faces like Lutho Sipamla‚ Kyle Verreynne‚ Bjorn Fortuin‚ Tabraiz Shamsi‚ Jon-Jon Smuts and Lungi Ngidi.

Their inclusion serves as an opportunity to start putting the building blocks towards the 2023 ICC World Cup and also to give senior players such as Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada the much needed rest after a busy 12 months.

“It’s an exciting group of youngsters that the selectors have picked and it’s a clear sign to everyone that if you put in the hard yards consistently enough‚ it will pay off eventually‚” said De Kock.

“We are excited to take on a team like England who have had a really good season. It’s a good way of measuring ourselves against the current ODI world champions and the right kind of challenge for everyone from the new guys to the senior players. It’s going be a good‚ quick and tough series and I’m looking forward to it.”

The team boasts a fully fit squad with the exception of fast bowler Sisanda Magala who is recovering since he was enrolled into a high performance training and conditioning camp which also included Shamsi‚ Smuts and Ngidi.

Magala has not met the team’s requirements for the ODI series but he will be with the team for the duration of the series to continue working with the team’s strength and conditioning coach Tumi Masekela.

“I am proud of the work that’s been achieved by the four players who have been in our high performance camp for the last three weeks‚” said Cricket South Africa (CSA) interim Director of Cricket Graeme Smith.

“It’s been a tough assignment and the guys have really put in the work with the ambition to get into the green and gold in mind‚ that’s the kind of commitment and grit we’re looking for in our national team. I’m pleased that Lungi‚ Tabraiz and Jon-Jon have been declared fully fit to join the ODI squad and I’m confident that Sisanda will be in that circle soon enough.

"He has put in an immense amount of work over a short period of time and we want to ensure he has the tools to deal with the high demands of international cricket when the opportunity arises.

"The Proteas men have an incredibly busy year of limited overs cricket ahead of them and we want to be certain that our players are up for the demands that will come.”