Just like that, South Africa’s international summer is at its end.
With just one incoming tour in a season with everything geared towards the World Cup, South Africa were always going to make the pot of gold at the end of the major tournament rainbow their focus. By the time this match came around, they were expected to have fielded their first-choice World Cup XI four times, hoped to be locked at two-all and heading for a finale they could pretend was the finale. But even the best-made plans can go awry: South Africa have been without their first-choice wicketkeeper batsman, Quinton de Kock, until now, they won the series with two games to spare and were only under pressure when it didn’t matter anymore.
They have found a way to make the best of it and have ensured everyone in their World Cup XV has had a game and their weary legs have had some rest. It may not be the ideal warm-up for the tournament they are desperate to win but it’s allowed them to fly a little under the radar for a short while.
West Indies seldom have the space for that kind of drawn-out build-up. They arrived a team fresh out of a crisis, played most of their cricket like a team still in one but hope to end it like a team who have solved all their problems. They’re not putting too much emphasis on how this series will influence their World Cup performances, they’re just hoping to find some common ground in their squad and their style of play and to leave South Africa having made an impression.
Form guide
South Africa LWWWL (last five completed games most recent first)
West Indies WLLLL
In the spotlight
With the knowledge that they may need their bench strength in a crunch situation at the World Cup, South Africa are likely to give Rilee Rossouw, Wayne Parnell, Kyle Abbott and Aaron Phangiso all a chance to show what they are capable of. Apart from Rossouw’s maiden century and a fairly tight performance from Phangiso, collectively the reserves still look vulnerable and they will want to reassure the South African public of the opposite before they head Down Under.
Talk out of the West Indies camp is all about their matchwinners but they are not the players normally associated with the term. Chris Gayle has averaged 17.75 in the series and while Marlon Samuels earned the special praise of Darren Sammy for playing “every day of cricket on the tour”, he has not always been able to follow through after impressive starts. In the last match, it was up to Sammy and Andre Russell to finish the job but if all the big names can put on big shows at the same time, West Indies could be, as Sammy put it, “unstoppable”.
Team news
Quinton de Kock will make his comeback just five weeks after tearing ankle ligaments at the same ground and will open the batting with his regular partner Hashim Amla, who also leads the side in AB de Villiers’ absence. South Africa’s captain will be given the day off so Rilee Rossouw will be bat at No. 4. Dale Steyn also has time to put his feet up which will allow Kyle Abbott to get another game. Morne Morkel played the fourth ODI and may make way for Vernon Philander while Aaron Phangiso could find himself filling in for Imran Tahir again.
South Africa: (possible) 1 Hashim Amla (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Miller, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Kyle Abbott 10 Vernon Philander, 11 Aaron Phangiso
West Indies are still waiting on the injury concerns to Lendl Simmons (finger) and Sulieman Benn (back) who should slot back into the XI if they are fit, unless they opt to leave out a specialist spinner. They have a tougher decision to make over whether to include Jerome Taylor. The pace spearhead was rested for the fourth ODI and with both Carlos Brathwaite and Sheldon Cottrell giving decent accounts of themselves, it may be difficult to make room for Taylor.
West Indies: (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Jonathan Carter, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Jason Holder (capt), 10 Carlos Brathwaite , 11 Sheldon Cottrell
Pitch and conditions
After slightly sluggish tracks on the Eastern Cape coast, South Africa will return to a surface they savour. SuperSport Park should present them with pace, bounce and carry and the altitude ensures it’s not just bowlers who benefit from the thinner air. The ball should fly further if the teams have the opportunity to play a full game. Rain is forecast from the afternoon into the evening with between 7mm and 30mm expect to fall.
Stats and trivia
Chris Gayle, who has not scored a century in 16 innings since June 2013, needs 119 more runs to reach 9000 in ODIs.
Hashim Amla has only captained South Africa in five ODIs, and they have won just two of them.
Quotes
“The Aussie series was a very compact and to have that intensity was very valuable for us. Coming back here, playing West Indies and being 3-0 up, was a bit less intense. It gives the team a bit more space in checking your squad out.”
South Africa’s stand-in captain Hashim Amla admits West Indies were easier picking than some of the team’s other challenges.
“I was going to make sure you guys are aware that it’s a home ground for us. It will be good to finish off on a high here and look to be settled before the World Cup.”
Darren Sammy played for the Titans, who are based at SuperSport Park, in the Ram Slam T20 and looks forward to seeing his home fans one last time.
