England’s cricketers may be gearing up to defend their 50-over World Cup title in India in October but their opposition on Friday in the first of three ODIs have a more pressing matter at hand: just being at the tournament.
South Africa need to win this series and then beat the Netherlands in two Covid-postponed ODIs at the beginning of April to avoid the ignominy of taking part in a secondary, 10-team qualifying tournament in Harare in June involving Ireland, Scotland, Namibia, the Netherlands and the UAE, among others. One of Sri Lanka or West Indies will also be there. Progression to the main event is anything but guaranteed.
The England captain, Jos Buttler, was well aware of South Africa’s desperation and was quixotic about what it meant to his team. “I think it means we will have a great series. They will be desperate to win but we want to win as well. They will bring their best cricket and their strongest team and we look forward to the challenge. They are an excellent side.”
The timing may be awkward but this series is anything but meaningless to England. “We have a World Cup nine months away and we don’t actually have loads of games before that,” said Buttler. “They’re all really vital games to give guys chances and exposure to the ODI format and give them an opportunity to try and nail down a place in the XI or 15 for the World Cup. Two big names, [Eoin] Morgan and [Ben] Stokes, aren’t around any more so there are big holes to fill and that’s exciting for new guys to stake a claim for those spots.”
There may be another hole to fill in a couple of days time if Jason Roy doesn’t score runs at the top of the order. One of the greatest 50-over openers in history has built up a vast bank of credit but there is a feeling this is his last chance to remain in the squad after a year without meaningful form.
“Jason has an outstanding record over a long period of time. He knows he’s not performing as well as he’d like to at the minute, he knows that more than anyone, but we are backing him,” Buttler said. “He has been a really influential figure in white-ball cricket and he’s been exceptional in the 50-over team for a long period of time. He has loads to offer and we are excited to see him get back to his best.”
There is a chance, of course, that one of the existing holes will be self-filling, with talk of Stokes un-retiring from ODI cricket continuing. “We have to plan with Ben unavailable, at the moment he’s retired. If he wants to change his decision, of course he’d be welcomed back with open arms,” Buttler said.
Open arms are not something Temba Bavuma has experienced much in recent months, having captained the South African T20 team to an inglorious exit with defeat to the Netherlands at the World Cup in Australia before failing to secure a single bid at the SA20 player auction. He is the only member of the national side who has not been playing for the past three weeks.
“If we have to go Harare [for the qualifiers] then we are prepared for that,” said Bavuma on Thursday before suggesting that it wasn’t only the players who were responsible for their current predicament. His employers, Cricket South Africa, forfeited an ODI series against Australia this month to ensure the country’s best players were available to play in the inaugural season of the SA20, the league vital to the financial survival of the domestic game.
“CSA made their path clear so, although we haven’t played as consistently as we would have liked, it was always a possibility that we would have to pre-qualify when they cancelled that series. We will play the cards that we are dealt without complaining,” Bavuma said.
“It has been a time for reflection but now we are together again we have a chance to do something special against the pioneers of world cricket and get to another World Cup. We know it won’t be easy.”
