ICC Champions Trophy 2017: South Africa (SA) probable playing 11 to face Sri Lanka (SL)

Middle-order

Little needs to be said about AB de Villiers that hasn't already been said

Francois du Plessis

Certain players just thrive when they are given extra responsibility and the ideal example of that is Francois du Plessis. After his elevation to Test captaincy, he has flourished but in ODIs he has shown that the extra responsibility of batting at No.3 was all that was needed to bring out the best in him.

Since 2013, he has averaged below 50 in an ODI calendar year just once and that was in 2016 when he averaged 48. After failing to score a single century in his first three years as an ODI batsman, Faf has 8 in the last four years and all of them have come at the No.3 position where he has nearly 3,000 runs at an average of nearly 52.

AB de Villiers

Little needs to be said about AB de Villiers that hasn't already been said. The South African superstar is one of the best batsmen of his generation and while injuries have plagued him recently, his form in ODIs shows little sign of going downhill.

Although 2016 was the first year since 2008 in which he averaged below 50 in a calendar year in ODIs, a lot of that was to do with injuries. In 2017, he already has over 550 runs at an average of nearly 70 and strike rate of 106. The Proteas will be counting on their skipper to lead them to their first major title since 1998.

David Miller

David Miller may have been dropped from the Kings XI Punjab side in IPL 2017 but his record for South Africa since 2016 is nothing short of incredible. He already has two fifties in the three innings that he played during the tour matches and the ODI series against England.

He has proven himself to be an exceptional match winner with the bat in the middle-order where he averages 69 apiece in both 2016 and 2017 in ODIs at a strike rate in excess of 110 on both occasions.