Clean sweep against Australia
CCN Sport Reporter
With the South African men’s cricket team having outplayed Australia in the first two games of the three-match One Day International (ODI) series, the Proteas’ brain trust has now shifted their focus to the three-match Test series that gets under way next week.
But the third and final ODI in Potchefstroom on Wednesday still has purpose, and the hosts will look to make it a clean sweep.
The Proteas won the second ODI at the Wanderers in Johannesburg by 32 runs to seal a 2-0 series win and will look to take that momentum into the three-match red-ball series that starts in Durban next Friday. South Africa’s premier fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, who missed out on the one-day series due to a hamstring injury, has been included in the preliminary Test squad but his selection is not guaranteed.
Coach Shukri Conrad says he will decide on the make-up of the team after Australia’s two-day tour match, also in Potchefstroom, next week.
“Obviously, we will take all those things into account, how he is feeling if he is uninjured, which is the starting point. But also, will he be able to match the intensity that’s required of a test match? So, we will give it as much time as humanly possible, but we also don’t want to make a call based on desperation. We will be smart about it that two-day match will give us a lot in terms of where everybody is at.”
This is the first time that the Australians will play a Test match on South African soil since the notorious tour of 2018, where the ball-tampering scandal “Sandpapergate” dominated the headlines in the Newlands Test in Cape Town.
Conrad encouraged fans to get behind the Proteas but to do it respectfully.
“People have memories that span back to eight years ago and there were hardware stores at the gate welcoming the Aussies and I don’t think that is disrespectful. That’s quite smart; they needed to be reminded about their misdemeanours, but again, be respectful. They did what they did, and they’ve got to own it from a team perspective. We don’t give it any attention but from the fans’ perspective, I’d love nothing more for our fans to get firmly behind us and do it respectfully when they give the opposition grief. Before the much-anticipated Test series, the Proteas will look to make it a series clean sweep in the final ODI in Potchefstroom on Wednesday,” says Conrad.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who has taken six wickets so far, believes that it will build the team’s confidence ahead of next year’s home World Cup.
“You want to be as clinical as possible in a series of this magnitude; they are the world champions. It’s always nice to build confidence. Yes, it is almost 12 months away from the actual World Cup, but it’s a wonderful stepping stone and foundation to build on. It shows character and shows champion mentality to try to get the series three nil, but it’s about the process. We focus on behind everything and letting it play out that way and just sort of doing the basics really well.”
The final match of the one-day series is a day/night game at Senwes Park, starting at 1:30 pm.
