Ranking the 5 Best ODI batting line-ups in the world

#3 South Africa

Du Plessis is paramount to South Africa's chances at the World Cup

The whole cricketing fraternity was taken aback when AB De Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket. He was a player that doesn't come around very often and South Africa have their task cut out, trying to recreate some of his impact full innings.

Amla and De Kock are a solid opening combination, though the form of Amla will be a cause of concern for the Proteas. The only uncertainty in their batting line-up is the #3 spot. However, South Africa would hope Reeza Hendricks can make the spot his own. after his century on debut.

The middle order is in a good space with the experience of Duminy and Miller. Both have the ability to mix caution with aggression and are adept ‘finishers’. The most crucial component though, is Faf du Plessis.

Du Plessis is the glue that keeps the South African batting together. In the recently concluded ODI and T20 series, South Africa lost all the games in which Du Plessis was sidelined. An excellent player of spin, he enables the batting to bat around him, thus laying the platform for huge scores.

South Africa’s only weakness is against spin and it was on display in Sri Lanka. Apart from this, they have shown a tendency to blow hot and cold on far too many occasions. f they are to end their wait for an elusive World Cup, the batting line-up needs to fire in unison.

Despite their batting prowess, they only get the #3 slot due to their apparent weakness against the spinning ball and their issues with consistency.