South Africa rest key players; Eye Top ICC Spot

Sreelata YellamrazuJan 29 2009

South Africa have so far achieved the unimaginable, even by their own standards. Now as they take on Australia in another dead rubber on this tour, they aim to hit the top spot, without their key personnel.

ntini thums up FDS5R 17022

After a sumptuous feast that was the Test series victory against Australia in Australia, South Africa still did not find too many voices that believed in their one day team or their make shift captain, Johan Botha, who was thrust with the job in the absence of Graeme Smith. Even as heroes they did become, the expectations from the one day team were so low that even Smith braced for a backlash.

ntini bosman kVe3f 17022

But what a turnaround this Australian summer has proved to be. The Test success notwithstanding, South Africa were brimming with ambition in the one day internationals as well not to let Australia get more than a foot in the door and even went around jamming them there to go no further. The 3-1 result then in four one day internationals is testimony of that.

Now Friday’s match at the WACA in Perth is then essentially a non-match given that Australia cannot change the fate of the series or of their summer with a win. But for South Africa, a win here would mean another opportunity to take a leap to the number one spot. Though South Africa were presented similar opportunities in Sydney during the Test series, they could not manage to grab the top spot though they earned themselves a ton of respect.

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But South Africa are attempting the virtually impossible. This is because Australia are pulling out the stops, recalling vice captain Michael Clarke from a thumb injury and Nathan Bracken from a sore calf muscle. With the attempt to get their fast bowlers some rest, South Africa though are not about to change strategy, at least till twenty-four hours before the match. This would mean that Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini will both sit out of the fifth one day international, paving the way for nineteen year old Wayne Parnell, the skipper of the under-19 team, and Lonwabo Tsotsobe to make their respective debuts. Also on the cards is the possibility of seeing Vaughan van Jaarsveld if he can make himself fit to replace Jacques Kallis.

That would leave Botha with a rather inexperienced team, but it does not seem to perturb them too much. They would still be looking for the win that would take them to number one, but the dressing camp story is that they are more interested in the win from the point of view that they do not want Australia to tour South Africa next month even with a salvage.

Ruthless mindset perhaps, but can they be equally ruthless without their big guns?

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