Proteas set table for fourth ODI

THE table is set for one of the most exciting One Day matches when the Proteas take on England for the fourth Momentum ODI.

For the Proteas it is a must win to level the series and England will want to walk away with a win on their side to clinch the ODI series.

A win for England will also give them the opportunity to make a statement for the upcoming T20 series against the Proteas. Should the Proteas win this match then the two teams will go to a decider in the fifth match at PPC Newlands on Sunday.

The fourth Momentum ODI match will be played at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Friday, February 12, and will start at 13:30.

Hashim Amla scored his 22nd ODI century and Quinton de Kock his 10th to set the Castle Lager Proteas up for a five-wicket victory over England and keep the series alive in the third Momentum ODI at SuperSport Park on Tuesday, February 9.

De Kock now has an incredible conversion record of 10 centuries as against five half-centuries.

Amla has achieved the performance of going past 50 on at least 50 occasions with 22 centuries and 28 50s.

Castle Lager Proteas captain, AB de Villiers, says he was impressed by the hunger and character shown by his players in the seven-wicket win against England in the third Momentum One Day International (ODI) at SuperSport Park. The captain believes the emphatic performance is a timely confidence booster after a slow start, with the Proteas needing to win the last two matches to clinch the series.

“I’m obviously very happy about that,” he said of the win after the match. “We were desperate to get a result in this game and it’s hopefully a sign of good stuff to come. It’s exactly what we wanted, it was a good solid performance. I thought we did the basics really well to start off with the ball in hand, we had good energy in the field and also did the same with the batting.

“You can always rate the morale of a side by the way that they field,” he explained. “We showed a lot of hunger in the field, a lot of bodies were thrown around to stop the ball, it was a great attitude. That always shows where a team is at, even though we were 2-0 down we had a lot of hunger to win the game.”

De Villiers was also full of praise for Amla and De Kock’s record-breaking opening stand of 239 runs, which set up a comfortable victory with 22 balls to spare.

“They are both in really good form at the moment,” he said. “If you get opening partnerships like that, not just 200-plus partnerships, but a good solid start it makes it much easier for a batting line-up to understand the rhythm of the game and to get the pace right. It freed up the middle order a lot and hopefully there will be more to come for the remainder of the series.”

The Proteas will shift their attention to the fourth match to be played in pink at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium. The Proteas have a proud record playing in pink, and have won the last three Pink ODIs at the Bullring.