With a home ICC Cricket World Cup year bearing down and limited time remaining to find answers, five specialist top-order batters in the Proteas squad are competing for what amounts to two and a half settled positions once Temba Bavuma's captaincy and Aiden Markram's leadership status are factored in.
Shukri Conrad has been candid about his approach, stating he wants to give "everyone a fair crack" at securing a World Cup place. This means youngsters Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Connor Esterhuizen and Jordan Hermann — who impressed on the recent Namibia tour — could all still feature in the subsequent Bangladesh series.
For now, Bavuma, Markram, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and Tony de Zorzi are auditioning for spots in the Top 3.
The complicating factor for everyone, except possibly Conrad, is De Kock’s ODI retirement reversal. Conrad has been vocal that he views the 50-over format as De Kock's strongest, and the returning veteran's experience and recent output make him near first-choice as things stand, gloves included. That reality potentially squeezes Rickelton out of the setup, despite his shift to number three at the T20 World Cup where he finished as South Africa's second top run-scorer.
Unfortunately for Rickelton, his ODI figures tell a different story. After a maiden ODI century against Afghanistan in February, the left-hander registered successive ducks against India and averages 28 across his last 10 ODI innings, with a top score of 35.
By contrast, De Zorzi's numbers demand serious consideration despite persistent questions surrounding his selection. The left-hander has amassed 856 runs at an average of 40.76, including half-centuries in his last two outings. Conrad highlighted De Zorzi’s ability to bat anywhere from one to five as a major asset for the final 15-player squad.
That leaves Bavuma and Markram, though Markram misses the series opener at Kingsmead.
Bavuma has achieved most of his success opening in ODIs since scoring a century on debut against Ireland in 2016. The captain averages 48.64 against the new ball compared to his career mark of 42.39, with four of his five ODI centuries coming at the top of the order.
However, Bavuma is expected to drop to number three, with Conrad favoring Markram to open alongside De Kock.
Markram’s opening statistics — an average of 37.03 with a single century — do not fully justify that faith. He has proved far more effective at number four, where he averages 42.91 with three centuries. Markram was a key presence in the middle order during the World Cup in India, scoring a century and three fifties while averaging 45.11 at a strike rate of 110.92.
Yet coaches are entitled to their instinct, and Markram remains Conrad’s key man for major occasions — as demonstrated in the WTC Final at Lord’s last year and during his run as South Africa’s leading scorer at the T20 World Cup when promoted to open.
While the top-order spots appear largely occupied, substantial runs for Rickelton or De Zorzi against a world-class Australian bowling attack could quickly reshape the selection narrative. | IOL Sport