Khalid's ODI XI for the 1st ODI vs England

The Proteas take on England in the first ODI in Bloemfontein on Friday, and after seeing fans on the Daily Show give their selection for the upcoming match, I’ve decided to share mine. | ✍️ Khalid Mohidin.

On Tuesday’s Daily Show, I asked fans to share their XIs for the ODI series against England. It was mixed feedback with question marks, particularly around the likes of the out-of-form players in the team.

My take is that because of the importance of a win, we need to pick our best XI that can exploit the conditions in Bloem and also, with regards to the bowling, stop England from playing their free-flowing game.

From what I know about the Mangaung Oval, it’s the biggest ground in the country, but we also know that it has the reputation for being a good batting wicket.

We can just take a trip back to 2016 when England scored 399 on this ground against South Africa, who played just one spinner in Imran Tahir and JP Duminy as their 5th bowling option. England reduced SA to 250/6 by playing two spinners, with Moeen Ali picking up 3 wickets. The game was affected by rain, however, so we can’t really read too much into that 39-run (D/L method) defeat.

What we can read into though, is that Lungi Ngidi (6/58), Imran Tahir (5/42) and Johan Botha (4/19) are in the top 5 when it comes to best bowling figures on the ground. Shawn Pollock and Jacques Kallis have the most wickets on the ground with 21 and 12 respectively.

In the last game at the Mangaung Oval, against Australia, South Africa dominated. They picked two spinners and Ngidi took 6 wickets, Nortje took two, Shamsi one and Phehlukwayo one, skittling Australia out for 271.

Overall it is generally quite a slow wicket with not a lot of bounce, and according to locals, under lights, it should tend to get better to bat on.

On big grounds and slow wickets, I would prefer that the Proteas favour spin and the medium-fast bowlers more, who have the ability to make it harder for batters to clear the boundaries, particularly in the powerplay.

From a batting perspective, we need to select players that know how to manipulate the field and run ones and twos, but also have the ability to hit boundaries when needed.

Thoughts behind the selection:

When it comes to averages in the ODI format, Rassie (69.3), Quinny (45.6), Janneman Malan (47.90) and Temba (42.94) are South Africa’s best top-order batters. If we pick our best top 4, then picking these four should be obvious.

It would be foolish to not select the skipper, despite only one century and no half-centuries in his last 10 matches.

Dropping Rassie, who has scored two centuries and two half-centuries in his last 10, is not logical to me.

Rassie and Temba are good runners between the wickets which is crucial on the big grounds in Bloem, especially if we lose De Kock early on.

I am well aware that Janneman Malan scored 129 not out in the last match at the ground against Australia and helped SA cruise to a 6-wicket win. But given his troubles against spin and swing, it’s risky, seeing that the rain in Bloem the last two days could mean some swing and spin-conducive conditions are likely. His recent dip in form (one half-century in the last 10 games) also played its part in my non-selection of the player.

If we want to transition into an attacking brand of cricket, picking a middle order of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller is a no-brainer. I also believe in having an extra bowling option, hence the decision to pick Markram, despite his record in ODI cricket. His form has been on the up, having scored two half-centuries in the last 10 games.

Coming off the back of winning the ICC Men’s Emerging Player of the Year, Jansen is my choice at 7, particularly because of his incredible form with the bat in the SA20 and recent Tests for SA. Yes, Parnell has more experience, but I believe that Marco has the mental strength to handle the pressure. He also provides more pace than Parnell, although I feel that the latter’s experience makes him dangerous, particularly with his variations.

I feel that Kagiso Rabada deserves a rest and Nortje’s extreme pace is always a threat, while Lungi Ngidi was very successful in Bloem during the Proteas’ last outing at the ground (6/58) and on this wicket, his slower balls and change-ups could be crucial for the team.

The spinners, pick themselves.

Full Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Here is my preferred XI for the game on Friday which kicks off at 13:00.