South Africa vs England: Combined XI

After a disappointing Test series, which ended in a 2-1 loss to England, South Africa will be yearning to start the new year on a positive note. The five-match ODI series, which starts in Bloemfontein, will be a test of the bench strength for both teams, as a number of star players are unavailable due to injury.Here is a combined ODI XI, consisting of the players from both the sides that might be crucial for their team’Âs performances:

#1 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla has had a great start to the new year

Having quit Test captaincy, Amla has been batting with a clearer head and more assured strokeplay. He has had a great start to the new year, with a match-saving 201 against England in the Cape Town Test, followed by a 109 and 96 at the Centurion. He crossed the 1000-run mark in ODIs last year, with four centuries and three fifties, and was the fifth-highest run getter overall. He also registered his highest ODI score (159) against Ireland at Canberra. The fastest to reach 6000 ODI runs, Amla resigned from the Test captaincy after 18 months in charge. Along with de Villiers, Amla has been the man in form for South Africa in recent years, and will be hoping to put another successful calendar year in his kitty.

#2 Moeen Ali

Ali’s off-spin will be crucial in stemming the flow of runs in the middle overs.

With Jason Roy injured, Moeen Ali might return to the top of the order from his recent position at No.7. He wasn’t in the best of form with the bat in the recent Test series, but has been effective with the ball in all forms of the game. He scored a solitary ODI century last year, but took 23 wickets at an economy of less than 5 in 2015. In Tests, he was the third-highest wicket taker for England, claiming 39 wickets from 13 Tests. Apart from providing solidity at the top, Ali’s off-spin will be crucial in stemming the flow of runs in the middle overs.

#3 AB de Villiers

Proteas’ fans will be hoping that Mr. 360 can get back in his elements ahead of the World T20.

AB de Villiers came to his own last year, blasting the fastest century ever in ODIs (31 balls) and setting a number of records on the way. He averaged a staggering 79.53 in ODIs in 2015, with five centuries and five fifties in a total of 20 matches, hammering runs at a Strike-rate of close to 140. With 58 sixes, he also set a record for most maximums in a calendar year. Although his form dipped in the last Test series (he scored a king-pair in the Johannesburg Test), Proteas’ fans will be hoping that Mr. 360 can get back in his elements ahead of the World T20.

#4 Joe Root

Root scored with a strike rate of 92 in ODIs last year.

Root had been phenomenal in 2015, averaging more than 60 in Tests and helping England win the Ashes. The number 1 ranked batsman in Tests was also the second highest run getter for his country in ODIs last year, the highlight being a career-best 121 against Sri Lanka in the group stages of the World Cup, one of the three hundreds he scored in 2015. A batsman of the traditional mould, Root still managed to score with a strike rate of 92 in ODIs last year. He scored a compact 71 against Pakistan in his last ODI in 2015, and fans will be hoping that he carries his rich vein of form into this ODI series as well.

#5 Jos Buttler

Buttler has been in the thick of things lately with his innovative strokeplay.

After a whirlwind 46-ball hundred, the fastest ODI century by and English player, Buttler bettered his own record, and will hope to turn a new leaf in his career in 2016. After being Matt Prior’s understudy till 2014, Buttler has made it up the ranks with his innovative strokeplay. He averaged 43 in ODIs last year, scoring runs at a Strike rate of close to 120.

He got a taste of captaincy in November, leading England to a T20 series victory over Pakistan. He was appointed the deputy to Eoin Morgan before the start of the World Cup last year. After losing his place to Bairstow in the Test team, Buttler has sights for a stint at the Indian Premier League.

#6 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes’s strokeplay will be the key in this series.

England’s go-to man, Stokes has inculcated his adventurous strokeplay in the longer form of the game as well, as highlighted by his 258 off 198 balls at Cape Town, complete with 11 sixes, which was the highest score by a No.6 in Tests. Stokes ended the series with 411 runs and 12 wickets, the first time that a player had scored 400 plus and taken 12 or more wickets in an overseas Test since Ian Botham in 1981. He made those 411 runs at a strike-rate of 109, which goes to show his approach remains the same in all forms of the game. He also took 11 wickets in the Ashes at 33.45. Stokes blazing strokeplay will be the key in making the difference to the total in the final part of the innings.

#7 Eoin Morgan

Morgan hasn’t been in the best of form coming into the one-day series.

Morgan ruled the batting charts for England in 2015, scoring close to a 1000 runs at an average of 44. He scored a couple of centuries and 7 fifties, hitting 30 sixes in the process. He hasn’t been in the best of form coming into the one-day series, but the English captain’s importance in the middle overs cannot be undermined. With Stokes and Buttler doing the finisher’s job, Morgan can finally settle down in the middle overs and get some runs under his belt. After a poor World Cup campaign, Morgan has opted for a more aggressive approach as a captain. Injuries to the first-XI players, however, might be a cause of concern for the team management.

#8 Stuart Broad

Broad returns to the ODI squad for the first time after the World Cup.

Broad conjured up one of the greatest bowling spells in the modern game (6-17) at Johannesburg and has been in red-hot form with the cherry. He makes a comeback into the one-day side after the unavailability of Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett. His experience will be crucial in shepherding a young new-ball featuring David Willey and Chris Woakes. He rose to No.1 in the Test rankings on the back of a successful Test series against the Proteas. It is the first time Broad has been included in the ODI setup since England’s dismal group-stage ouster in the World Cup last year.

#9 Imran Tahir

Tahir’s wide range of variations will be vital.

Tahir pipped Adil Rashid as the leg-spinner in this team on the back of consistent performances last year, which made him the second highest wicket-taker in ODIs last year, second only to Mitchell Starc. Tahir took 37 wickets at an average of 25, including two four-wicket hauls and a 5-45 against the West Indies at Sydney during the 2015 World Cup, which was already his second World Cup in a relatively young career. The match at Bloemfontein will be the 50th ODI for Tahir, who has come a long way to claim his South African jersey, after years of initial struggle. His wide range of variations will be vital in testing the in-form English batsmen.

#10 Kagiso Rabada

Rabada will be looking forward to cementing his place in the World T20 team.

Rabada shot into limelight in the U19 World Cup two years ago. Having made his debut against Bangladesh a memorable one with a six-wicket haul, including a hat-trick last year, Rabada is already being regarded as a long term prospect for the South Africans. He proved his mettle in the longest format as well, picking up 22 wickets and ending as the highest wicket taker in the series overall. That included three five-wicket hauls, and his 13 wickets at Centurion were the most by a South African in Tests. A veteran of a mere 24 international games, Rabada will be looking forward to cementing his place in the World T20 team.

#11 Morne Morkel

Morkel will be key for the South Africans in taking quick wickets at the start.

With Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander injured, the onus is now on Morne Morkel to spearhead the South African bowling line-up. The tearaway quick had a successful 2015, picking up 29 wickets in just 16 matches at an average of 22. He picked up 15 wickets in the recent Test series against England, and had taken 4-39 against India in his last ODI at Rajkot. In good nick, Morkel will be key for the South Africans in taking quick wickets at the start, especially with the standard English opening pair unavailable due to Jason Roy’s injury. The lanky fast bowler has progressed as the mainstay of the bowling setup after making his ODI debut in June 2007.