ICC World Cup 2023: SWOT Analysis - South Africa

South Africa had one of the most forgettable outings in the 12th edition of the ODI World Cup, where they managed to win just three out of nine games and finished in seventh place.

The squad, led by Faf du Plessis, was handicapped by injuries to their fast bowling mainstays and some untimely loss of form of some major batters. At the 13th edition set to be held in India, South Africa are back to their full strength, overcoming injury issues. Eight of the 15 players announced for the World Cup will be playing their maiden World Cup, including the skipper Temba Bavuma.

While spin spearhead Keshav Maharaj is back from injury, all-rounder Wayne Parnell misses out due to a shoulder injury. Young sensations Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs are among the other notable absentees.

Squad:

Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Henrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Strengths

Despite the World Cup being played in India, the Proteas have decided to play to their strengths by bolstering their pace attack. A fast bowling unit comprising of Rabada, Nortje, Jansen, Ngidi, Coetzee and Magala is one of the best in the tournament.

The middle order with Markram, Dussen, Klaasen and Miller, all of whom are coming in with good form, look formidable. All of them are known to play well against spin, which is a pre-requisite for succeeding in middle overs in Indian conditions.

The spin duo of Shamsi and Maharaj, accompanied by Markram, are a potential threat for opponents. On helpful pitches, the trio is good enough to make life tough for teams.

Weaknesses

While the overall squad and the first-choice playing XI looks well-balanced, covering all bases, the only major area to focus on is the lack of backup middle-order batters.

This might not be that big a challenge as a backup for the middle-order positions would have surely given them a cushion, especially in a long tournament like the World Cup.

With Parnell not in the squad, Jansen will have to shoulder the responsibilities of number 7, followed by Maharaj. While both of them are capable batters, it will be interesting to see how they perform in crunch situations without exposing the long tail.

Opportunities

The majority of the first-choice players have been playing in the IPL for quite a while now and are acquainted with the Indian conditions. The Proteas have the squad to succeed in all of the kinds of conditions on offer during the World Cup. The flexibility and balance provide the Proteas with a great opportunity to go the distance.

Threats

More than half of the squad will be making their maiden appearances in the World Cup. Add to that, the Proteas hardly had any match practice in the ODI format since the start of April. They will have played just five ODIs against Australia and the two warm-up games before the start of the World Cup.

While the squad is not short of experience, playing on the big stage with such low match practice might prove to be a major obstacle for the team to overcome.

Probable Playing XI

Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton De kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Henrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.