Big Picture: One year out from the 2027 World Cup
Feel it, it’s (nearly) here.
There’s nothing South Africans love more than a party, except the build-up to a party and this summer is sizzling with anticipation. In a little over 12 months, the 50-over World Cup returns to the African continent for the first time in 24 years and everything in cricket – and we do mean everything – is prepping for it. Across the country, stadiums are being upgraded, the hype machine is whirring and now, the cricket needs to be played.
There’ll be some extra significance in the series starting on a public holiday in South Africa. Heritage day was initially used to commemorate the death of the Zulu king, Shaka, who ruled in the Kwa-Zulu Natal area in the 18th century. Now, it is a celebration of all South Africa’s diverse cultures, usually united by one thing: the braai. Expect much meat to be cooked over hot coals, at Kingsmead and around the country, to kick off what will be a huge summer of cricket. These ODIs are merely the appetiser for the Test series which follows next month.
South Africa: WWWLW (Last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Australia: WWWWL
In the Spotlight: Coetzee and Carey
Team News: Will the Jansen twins play together for SA?
South Africa XI (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Tristan Stubbs/Matthew Breetzke, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Gerald Coetzee, 11 Lizaad Williams
Australia XI (probable): 1 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Cameron Green/Alex Carey, 6 Matt Renshaw, 7 Olivier Peake, 8 Nathan Ellis, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Mitchell Starc
Pitch and Conditions: All eyes on the weather
It’s a tired joke but since it hasn’t been used for a while, here goes: if you want rain in Durban, put stumps at either end of a 22-yard strip.
Though training was interrupted earlier in the week with rain, the cricket gods seem to be taking kindly to the season starting and Thursday is forecast to be dry, warm and windy.
