Proteas hope for ODI momentum after Test success

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma says they will use the three ODIs against the West Indies to introduce new players to widen their pool. 

The Proteas and Windies will play the first ODI today at Buffalo Park (1pm), East London. Bavuma captained his side to a Test 2-0 series win over their opponents, and he hopes that the momentum will translate to the 50-over matches. 

"You want to keep that good thing going, with that being said we can’t ignore that this is a big year from a 50-over point of view (referring to the Cricket World Cup later this year). That’s probably the main priority," Bavuma told the media.

SA are ushering in a new era in the white ball format under coach Rob Walter and Bavuma. The duo have an eye on the key series against the Netherlands later this month and the World Cup in October and November in India.

One of the orders of business  is to make sure they have a strong core. To achieve this they need to introduce new talent to blend in with the experienced old heads. Bavuma hinted that new faces such as Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton may play today.

"We want to widen the pool, even with those new guys coming in; it’s not a factor of us compromising or kind of giving away our desire to win this series. We want to do well, and we want to win this series but it will be even better if you have the new faces come in under that pressure, under uncertainty and put in the winning performances that the team requires," Bavuma said. 

When assessing the wicket at Buffalo Park, where the Proteas have an impeccable record, Bavuma says they are expecting it to be slow. 

“In terms of the conditions, we spoke to the local coaches and players. They all have expressed the sentiment that the wicket is generally on the slower side, this wicket in particular looks like it is going to play that way."