Australia will be up against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series in Cairns. This will be the first assignment for both teams since the Champions Trophy, and even though the ODI World Cup is a couple of years away, they will be keen to identify a settled group of players.
After a hard-fought T20I series, the spotlight will move to the ODIsย for Australia and South Africa. With a couple of years to go for the ODI World Cup, the relevance of this series is a bit hard to find. Still, for Australia, it will be the beginning of life after Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell in 50-over cricket. For the Proteas, they would want to build on the Test championship win. And without one of their best white-ball players in Heinrich Klaasen, the visitors would want to identify a couple of middle-order players, finishers, especially with David Miller on the wrong side of his 30s.
Mitchell Marsh has done well as the captain of Australia since taking over the T20 side full-time and in the handful of one-dayers he has been at the helm. Australia will be without two of their main seamers, but Nathan Ellis has more than made up for them and the challenge for the latter will be to continue the same form in a slightly longer format, in the ODIs.ย
For South Africa, the likes of Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj have returned to the side. Even though they will be missing someone like Miller for the series, the three ODIs will be a good opportunity for Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis to put their hand up and audition for a place in the side for a home World Cup, a couple of years later.
My Dream11 team for AUS vs SA 1st ODI
Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Cameron Green (vc), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Wiaan Mulder, Adam Zampa (c),ย Keshav Maharaj,ย Kagisoย Rabada
Probable Playingย XIs
Australia:ย Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Aaron Hardie/Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis/Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa:ย Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis,ย Wiaanย Mulder,ย Prenelanย Subrayen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger,ย Lungiย Ngidi