Cricket World Cup 2019, South Africa preview, likely starting XI: Time to shrug off that c-tag

South Africa‘s 1-5 rout against India last year seems quite some time ago. Since then they have won 5 consecutive ODI series, winning 16 matches and losing 5. This includes series wins in Australia and Sri Lanka as well. And add to that a comfortable win against Sri Lanka in the warm-up match.

What is more, they have achieved all this since AB de Villiers and seldom having a fully fit pace attack. If their best men can all take field, the South African pace attack has the potential to clean up any batting side when in full flow.

Injuries continue to plague them. Anrich Nortje, who had impressed so much in the Sri Lanka matches, has been ruled out. Dale Steyn is around, but given his injury record, how long will he last? And both Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have been injury-prone.

Batting, however, has been a concern. Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis have been excellent over the past year, while Hashim Amla showed glimpses of his class in the warm-up match. The rest is inexperienced, though Rassie van der Dussen has been outstanding in his short career.

Key players

Quinton de Kock: Average, 58.62; strike rate, 111; and a boundary (four or six) at a rate of over one every six balls. De Kock has been in phenomenal form this year – and, indeed, since debut. A stamp on this World Cup will place him, already a world-class gloveman, in the pantheon of all-time great wicketkeeper-batsmen.

Dale Steyn: It is not going to be about whether Steyn will succeed; it is his fitness that South Africa are concerned about. He is approaching the last days of his career, but a rampant Steyn running in is still enough to intimidate batsmen and induce a rush of adrenaline in batsmen. Will this be his stage?

Imran Tahir: Tahir is forty, but who cares? Did he not win the Purple Cap in the IPL less than a month ago, running a mile or so after snaring every wicket? In what may be a high-scoring World Cup, a world-class leg-spinner will definitely play a role. Remember, Tahir had won South Africa their only World Cup knockout match till date, four years ago.

Squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (vc & wk), Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Chris Morris, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Likely XI: Quinton de Kock (vc & wk), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir.

Prediction

Sixth, maybe fifth. They need to sort their batting out to reach the top four. And if they indeed make it, it is perhaps time they shrug off that ridiculous c-tag.