There is a precise reason why South Africa head into the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 with the tag of the favourites.
Apart from being the world’s number one ODI team at present, the Proteas have played an exceptional brand of cricket over the last 12 months that has left several teams crippled with the sheer audacity of the South Africans.
Not too long ago, despite missing the services of first choice players, the Proteas made an absolute mockery of the Australians, as they whitewashed them 5-0 at home. That was followed by another 5-0 series whitewash at home, this time of the depleted Sri Lankan outfit.
Their biggest test, however, was during the ODI series in New Zealand, as the AB de Villiers led outfit became the first ever team since 2013 to beat New Zealand in an ODI series in their own backyard.
Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, the South Africans are preparing themselves in the best possible way, as they take on hosts England in a three-match series which promises to be a thriller. Ahead of the series, South Africa’s veteran opener Hashim Amla opened up and mentioned that the balance within the team gave the Proteas the edge over other teams.
“This ODI series comes at a good time, it’s before the Champions Trophy and it will be great preparation for both teams,” Amla said ahead of the first ODI against England. “England are a good team, very well balanced, so it will be a good challenge to hone down our skills so we can start the tournament on a good note.”
Specifying a few names to watch out for, Amla mentioned about the side’s perfect balance.
“We have a very good balance in the team,” he added. “There are a few of us who have been around for a few years. A few exciting youngsters like Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell, who has been around but still has age on his side. We have a very good mix, hopefully, we can all put it together in this series and the Champions Trophy.”
The South Africans played two warm-up games, and both ended on a victorious note.
“The warm-up matches went really well,” Amla said. “When you come to a new place you want to try and get as much information from the conditions as possible. The two warm-up matches provided that; a lot of the batsmen got runs and the bowlers got a good workout. In the last game, guys were tested at different times which was a good experience.”
The elegant opener, however, admitted that his team wouldn’t definitely be underestimating the batting heavy England side.
“We played them not so long ago in South Africa and we know they have a long batting line-up with quite a few different bowling options,” Amla said. “They are a well-balanced team, we understand that. We have had good series against them and because of their competitive nature, the way they have been playing and the way that we have been playing, I think it’s going to be a good series.”