The Proteas will not be taking their foot off the pedal as they strive for a 3-0 clean sweep of world champions Australia in the final ODI in Potchefstroom on Wednesday (starts 1.30pm).
The home team have only ever shut out the Aussies in an ODI series once before, when Faf du Plessis led the Proteas to a 5-0 whitewash in 2016.
Although coach Shukri Conrad has predicted that he will be making sweeping changes to the starting line-up with the series already wrapped up, Keshav Maharaj stated that it will not dim the team’s motivation to finish on a high note at the North West Oval.
“You want to try and be as clinical as possible in a series of this magnitude. They are the world champions, so it's always nice to build confidence,” Maharaj said.
“It is probably just over 12 months away from the actual World Cup, but it's a wonderful stepping stone and foundation to build on. It shows character. Also, it shows a champion mentality to try and get the series 3-0.”
Maharaj believes that whoever comes into the playing XI on Wednesday will have the added motivation of staking a claim for a place in next year’s World Cup squad.
“Obviously, when you're playing against high-quality opposition and the fringe players get the opportunity, I'm sure they want to put their hands up with performances that sort of show the depth and also show their quality and how they can fit into international cricket,” he said.
“So, I'm sure when they do get the opportunity, they will take that with both hands.”
It is likely that 20-year-old seamer Nqobani Mokoena could get a run-out in the series, while left-handed batters Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton could be back in the line-up after missing the Pink ODI at the Wanderers.
De Zorzi, in particular, will be looking to make an impact after falling for a duck in the first outing at Kingsmead last week. The 29-year-old struck two half-centuries in the preceding ODI series in Namibia, but needs a solid contribution, with Conrad indicating that the likes of Dewald Brevis, possibly Jordan Hermann, and Connor Esterhuizen could be called up for the next series against Bangladesh.
Equally, Tristan Stubbs could be feeling that he needs to repay the faith Conrad has placed in him over a lengthy period. Stubbs missed the first ODI in Durban and fell cheaply attempting to hack a slower ball early on at the Wanderers; he will know that there is plenty of competition for middle-order slots.
The Aussies, meanwhile, have suffered another double injury blow. After wicketkeeper Josh Inglis was ruled out of the series after picking up an injury in Durban, seamer Nathan Ellis and left-arm spinner Joel Davies suffered a side strain and hamstring strain, respectively, at the Wanderers.
Ellis only bowled four overs in the Proteas' innings but managed to come out to bat at No 10. | IOL Sport
SOUTH AFRICA v AUSTRALIA — SQUADS FOR THIRD ODI
PROTEAS: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Duan Jansen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Nqobani Mokoena, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams.
AUSTRALIA: Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa