AB de Villiers, Amla, Steyn, Miller Make The Cut In Proteas Best Probable ODI XI For Previous Decade

The Proteas maintained one of the most impressive win ratio in bilateral series and multi-nation ODI tournaments but much to their dismay, continued to retain their 'chokers' tag at the major ICC tournaments.

South African cricket team before the 2015 World Cup (Pic: AFP/Getty)

South Africa may have not been the dominant powerhouse in ODI cricket that they were known to be in the mid and late 90s, but still were a competitive force in the 50-over formats  in the decade gone by (2010-2019). The Proteas maintained one of the most impressive track record in bilateral series and multi-nation ODI tournaments but much to their dismay, continued to retain their 'chokers' tag at the major ICC tournaments. The Proteas were fortunate to have some of the best cricketers in their class with both the willow and red cherry and the highly regimented and professional unit combined well under the captaincy of their charismatic leaders - AB De Villiers and Faf Du Plessis, who led from the front and by example for most part of the decade.

De Kock And Amla Provided The Opening Thrust Up The Order

The South African batting was a star studded affair with a semblance of wristy strokemakers, belligerent power hitters and run grafters. The Proteas had a very dependable opening pair in Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla which provided the initial fireworks and got the team off to consistent starts. While Smith was a gritty and determined batsman who overcame his technical deficiencies to graft runs , the ever consistent Amla was the more eye catching strokemaker who charmed many with his wristy and elegant shot making.

Once Smith bid farewell to the sport, the attacking and free flowing wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock formed a highly successful opening duo with Hashim Amla for the South Africans.

AB De Villiers Spearheads A Power-packed Middle Order

South Africa's middle order was spearheaded by their batting wizard AB De Villiers, who arguably was the most gifted and versatile batsman of his generation . 'AB' could flay the best of attacks with utter disdain on the back of his spectacular range of shots, which often left the opposition in complete awe.

'Mr 360' was a nightmare for any bowling attack when on full song and could change the dimension of the game. De Villiers formed a power-packed lineup with Faf Du Plessis and JP Duminy who were very good ODI batsmen on their own merit. While the stylish Faf Du Plessis was a consistent run scorer, Duminy had the ability to provide the late acceleration to the innings with his ability to hit those towering sixes.

David Miller - The Tormentor Down The Order

Lower down the order, David Miller was the hard hitting bludgeoner who produced some whirlwind innings to turn the tide of some pulsating encounters in his team's favour. Besides 'Killer Miller' flashes of brilliance, the Proteas also had power hitters like Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo and Farhaan Behardien, all of whom could smoke quite a few out of the park and excel at the art of providing the finishing touch to an innings.

The highly talented Rilee Rossouw left an impact of sorts with his eye catching stroke-play for the South Africans before opting for a Kolpak deal. Meanwhile, Rassie van der Dussen came up the ranks pretty quickly and has looked in omnious form in the past few seasons.

Steyn, Morkel And Rabada Formed A Lethal Pace Trio

True to their age old tradition, the cutting edge weapon of South Africa's ODI unit was their potent pace bowling unit. Proteas were spoilt for choices as their high voltage line-up of seamers was world class, one better than the other. Leading a tormenting seam attack was the master of swing and seam in Dale Steyn, arguably one of the best strike bowlers of his generation.

Steyn had the perfect seam partner in the tall and well built Morne Morkel who extracted step bounce and pace by bending his back hard. With Steyn bogged down by a spree of injuries, tearaway speedster  Kagiso Rabada took over the reins and became the pace ace for the African nation.

The support cast of Chris Morris, Ryan McLaren, Kyle Abbot and Wayne Parnell provided depth to a formidable pace attack.The Proteas used the services of seam merchants Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Vernon Philander to great effect in the seam friendly decks back home.

Imran Tahir Rose To Become The Lone Spin King In A Predominant Seam Attack

In a predominantly seam heavy attack, Imran Tahir, was a rare exception who went onto become a match winning leg spinner with his guile and craft in white ball cricket. Meanwhile, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and JP Duminy were spinners of noteworthy recognition who lent a bit of variety to their bowling attack.

Towards the end of the decade, Proteas were hit hard by a spree of retirements of their stalwarts but it also ushered in a new era with the emergence of talented young turks. Aiden Markram, Henrich Klassen, Lungi Ngidi and Dwaine Pretorius have all shown the pedigree and skill to become stars for South Africa in the future. South Africa Best One Day International XI (2010-2019) - Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Faf Du Plessis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada Notable Mentions: Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Farhaan Behardien, Robin Peterson, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, R Rossouw, Ryan McLaren, Aiden Markram , Dwaine Pretorius

 * - Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis who were the batting lynch-pins for the South Africans in the 2000s bid farewell to the sport early in the decade, hence their contributions were not much in the decade taken into consideration.

South Africa Track Record In ODIs (2010-2019) Played - 188 Won - 114

Win% - 60.63%

 

*(2nd Best Success% After India)

South Africa's Performance In ICC World Cup (2010-2019)

2015 - Semifinalist, 2011 - Quarterfinalist, 2019 - Eliminated In Round Robin Stage