With the T20I series out of the way, the Proteas will now shift their attention to the ODIs against Australia, which gets under way in Paarl on Saturday.

The last time these two countries played an ODI series in South Africa, the Proteas handed the Australians their very first series whitewash in the 50-over format by claiming an impressive 5-0 victory in 2016.

The previous ODI series between the two teams was back in 2018 when South Africa won 2-1 in Australia and the last time they met in this format was in the final pool game of last year’s Cricket World Cup in England, which South Africa also won.

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This time around, Australia head into the three-match series as the overwhelming favourites with coach Mark Boucher continuing to experiment to find his perfect XI.

The Proteas came close to beating England in their recent ODI series but defeat in the final encounter at the Wanderers meant the series was shared 1-1.

Australia, though, look like a composed and disciplined outfit and showed in the first and third T20I how devastating they can be.

Explosive batting can be backed up by some brilliant fast and spin bowling.

Skipper Aaron Finch gave mention after their big win at Newlands on Wednesday to their spinners, who have been extremely accurate in picking up wickets at crucial stages and putting the Proteas batters under pressure.

The way Mitchell Starc dismissed Quinton de Kock at the Wanderers and in Cape Town should pose a really worrying sign to the Proteas camp, who opted for a fairly inexperienced batting unit for the ODIs.

Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius have all been rested, while Reeza Hendricks drops out for Janneman Malan, who is still uncapped in ODI cricket.

Kyle Verreyenne’s inclusion could also have him earn his debut after good performances for the Cobras this season.

Temba Bavuma’s return to the squad is a massive boost for the team, however, after he missed the T20I series due to injury.

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The right-hander has been in excellent knick in limited-overs cricket for the Proteas recently and stamped his position in the squad in the series against England.

Keshav Maharaj’s inclusion in the ODI squad is also an interesting and exciting one for Boucher.

Tabraiz Shamsi has been performing fairly well with the ball this summer, but Maharaj’s presence offers the bowling unit a different weapon to exploit against the dangerous Aussie batsmen.

His experience will also come in handy in this series, due to the variation he offers, something Shamsi has been struggling to add to his game.

Another exciting return to the squad is that of Lutho Sipamla, who was also very impressive in the ODI series against England.

Sipamla found some great consistency and bowled particularly well in the final ODI against the English, which South Africa almost one at the end.

Australia, on the other hand, have added fast bowler Jhye Richardson to their squad to complement the already dangerous pace attack of Starc, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson and Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood is expected to have quite a big say in the ODI series after being rested for the T20Is, while Marnus Labuschagne returns to his country of birth to face the Proteas for the first time.

His recent form in Test cricket has been nothing short than brilliant and after some good performances for the Brisbane Heat in the recent Big Bash League, and he will be determined to carry that form into 50-over cricket.

Saturday’s action at Boland Park starts at 1pm before the teams head to Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom next week.

Fixtures

1st ODI: Saturday, 29 February – Boland Park, Paarl

2nd ODI: Wednesday, 4 March – Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein

3rd ODI: Friday, 6 March – Senwes Park, Potchefstroom

Proteas squad: Quinton de Kock (c, wk), Temba Bavuma, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Beuran Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Jon-Jon Smuts, Anrich Nortje, Lutho Sipamla, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verreyenne.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Jhye Richardson , Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

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