There’s no shortage of talent both on and off the Proteas bench in Pakistan at the ICC Champions Trophy but then again, have we ever been short of cricketing talent in South Africa?
Over the last three decades, talent has never been a problem, getting over the final hurdle has been. The last time the Proteas won anything of importance was 1998, which was the ICC Champions Trophy.
They’re now in another promising seat to bring some ICC silverware back home to South Africa and silence the critics once and for all about their uncanny ability to “choke” in big games.
Their bout with Australia in Rawalpindi washed out on Tuesday, earning both teams one point, while the Proteas stayed on top of Group B with three points, thanks to a superior net-run rate.
The Proteas now prepare for their clash with the English on Saturday at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. Both sides have to lay it all on the line this weekend, as England are fighting to save face and stay in the tournament.
England will have to put up a world class performance against the Proteas, plus bonus points, if they want to stay in the tournament. This, after Afghanistan beat them by 8 runs on Wednesday evening.
The wash-out between the Proteas and the Australians gave the English much needed breathing room. Anything less than that, and they will have to rely on net-run rate and the Australians doing them a massive favour later in the week against the Afghans.
The Proteas vs England clash could, therefore, be considered a quarter-final to decide the fate of Group B
The Proteas have been on a high coming off their thrashing of Afghanistan in their opening game.
There’s no telling what could have happened against Australia but pondering the whats and if’s will never win a tournament, both Temba Bavuma and Steve Smith concurred.
From both a batting and bowling perspective, the green and gold looked solid, with some options oalso presenting themsleves on the bench. Matthew Breetzke’s maiden ODI score of 150 in the recent tri-series against Pakistan, also means there’s solid options back home.
Pace bowlers like Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada and Wiaan Mulder produced promising figures against Afghanistan, too, but can they bring the heat against a desperate England?
In terms of batting, Ryan Rickelton’s century showed why giving the young guns a chance can work in the team's favour. Fire power like David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen and Mulder down the line mean the Proteas have depth to work with.
But how will they perform against the likes of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer? Archer produced figures of 3/64 against the Afghans and was backed up by Liam Livingstone with 2/28.
England were clubbed by Australia in a five wicket defeat on Saturday, despite putting up a target of 351/8 in 50 overs. England's bowlers expensive against the aussies, with a standout performance of 120 from 86 by wicket keeper Josh Inglis.
Their pace attack, including the 'world's fastest bowler' Mark Wood was fairly expensive, with all but Joe Root claiming 1 wicket. They struggled to strike during the middle of Australia's innings, which could have let aussie batters settle in a lot better.
The English bowling attack performed similarly against Afghanistan, who scored 325/7 in their innings during Wednesday's Group B clash. Ibrahim Zadran rewrote history with his record breaking 177/146.
Past chokers or not, the current conditions put the Proteas in a good position to put England to rest and start navigate the deep end of this tournament. England's defeat does not automatically qualify them for the next round, as a loss to England will have to involve the net run rate in the equation.
The Proteas need more than talent to hold their nerve and see the next crucial game through. All indications from the team show positivity in the camp, but nerves really don’t brew on the surface.
Temba Bavuma will be the first Protea Captain to lead his team to a Champions Trophy victory in over 20 years if they can rise to the occasion.