Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir and Beuran Hendricks have been identified as three key players for the Proteas as they face the West Indies at the Rose Bowl on Monday, writes KHALID MOHIDIN.

With the Proteas desperate to get their first win of the tournament, every player will be key to them finding a win.

There is a slight injury concern over Rassie van der Dussen and it is still unknown whether Lungi Ngidi is fully fit. This will be the major talking point heading into the clash against the West Indies.

READ: Three key West Indies players

Quinton de Kock

The Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman has failed to contribute against Bangladesh and India. He needs to shake off his poor run of form and be at his best to spark some belief back into the Proteas camp. The last time he played against the Windies was in 2016, and he has only five ODIs to his name against the Caribbean side with an average of 24.60. This is a new-look West Indies XI, and he could benefit from the extra bounce their tall fast bowlers produce. Having played against some of their starts in their side during the IPL, De Kock must aim to provide insight into bowling plans against their big-hitters and batting plans against their seamers.

Imran Tahir

The West Indies’ big men are known to stand and deliver. They usually don’t provide much foot movement and this could work in the favour of the Proteas, especially Tahir. The Proteas leg spinner’s attacking mindset and ability to mix things up, could bamboozle their batting lineup and prevent them from settling in at the crease. But it’s empirical that he doesn’t miss his line because with the likes Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Jason Holder in the team, they will punish any stray deliveries.

Beuran Hendricks or Lungi Ngidi 

The Windies batsmen struggled against the Australia seam attack, especially against left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc. Hendricks, being a lefty too, could provide an element of surprise, as many of the West Indian batsmen would not have faced Hendricks before. He admitted that he would not be able to replace Dale Steyn, who was ruled out of the tournament, but would provide his own unique variety and set of skills. The Proteas seam attack will need to take learnings from the West Indies’ clash against Australia and bowl similar lines and lengths. If Ngidi is fit and plays, Hendricks will most likely sit out. Ngidi’s pace and bounce could be key to clamping the West Indies batsmen for space in the crease.