According to reports from Sri Lanka, veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis will return to batting at No 3 for the Proteas in ODIs.

Russell Domingo, speaking to the press on Wednesday, said that the management have a ‘good understanding’ of what the batting order is going to be for the upcoming three-ODI series in Sri Lanka, and that Kallis would slot in at first drop.

‘Jacques is back and he has held the No 3 position for a long time but hasn’t played a lot of ODI cricket recently so he will probably slot back into that position’, Domingo said. In recent months JP Duminy has featured at No 3, but he will now likely drop down to No 5 or No 6.

Unfortunately, Domingo hasn’t been able to test his preferred batting order in today’s warm-up match against a Sri Lankan President’s XI, as Kallis was pulled from the game after experiencing stiffness in his upper back during warm-ups.

The injury isn’t thought to be serious, with management taking a cautious approach with the 38-year-old. He has been prone to injury in recent years, and they wouldn’t have wanted to risk him in the extremely hot conditions unnecessarily. The rest of the 15-man squad is taking part in the game, as the Proteas look to blow off the cobwebs after a short off-season.

Domingo also said the side had done the most with their preparation time this week, despite some rain on Tuesday. ‘The guys practised with good purpose and intensity so we are good to go in terms of getting the tour started after a bit of rain,’ Domingo said. ‘It’s been hot and humid. These are some of the factors that we have to get used to. The warm-up game will be a good start in terms of acclimatising to these hot conditions.’

The three-ODI series commences in Colombo on Sunday, with the game starting at 6:15 South African time.

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