The best South Africa ODI XI of all-time: Two notable but justifiable exclusions
It is white-ball cricket time with several series set to start around the world.
A little while back we picked our best Test teams by country, focussing on players who had been in action since 1990.
It’s time to turn our attention to the shorter form of the game now and to start the selection process of best ODI sides by country.
It should be a fun task as we combine hard statistical evidence with a degree of subjectivity, after all, teams are about balance and chemistry, not purely stats.
To start off, here’s out pick for the best South African ODI cricket side of all time.
1. Hashim Amla
- Innings: 175
- Average: 49.89
- Strike rate: 88.65
Always understated and always elegant, Amla was a standout performer at the top of the Proteas order. While he wasn’t a power-hitter there was certainly nothing wrong with his strike-rate.
Amla makes this team ahead of players like Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs based on his weight of runs and the rate at which he scored them.
An all-time great in the format, Amla was sensational in the 50 over format with his blend of classic cricket shots and wristy improvisation. If he had a weakness, it was in the field where his throwing arm was never the strongest.
2. Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper)
- Innings: 152
- Average: 46.11
- Strike rate: 96.96
An excellent foil to Amla at the top of the order with his ability to attack from the outset. A left-hander with a penchant for going big, De Kock was both an accomplished gloveman and batsman.
While Amla was a Test and ODI player, De Kock was more of an out-and-out white ball star. His strike rate at the top of the order was excellent and bore plenty of influence from the T20 game.
3. Faf du Plessis
- Innings: 80
- Average: 55.50
- Strike rate: 88.34
Fit, focused and feisty, Faf du Plessis averaged a sensational 55.5 when batting at three for South Africa. A classical looking batsman with all the shots in his repertoire, Du Plessis was the master of playing the situation.
He could defend just as well as he could attack, and he was an exceptional player of both spin and pace. Aside from his outstanding batting, Du Plessis brings plenty to this team – he is an excellent fielder and an outstanding leader.
Although he only skippered South Africa in 39 ODIs (28 of which were wins) we have picked him to lead this side ahead of other potential candidates like Shaun Pollock, AB De Villiers and Hashim Amla.
4. Jacques Kallis
- Innings: 74
- Average: 47.31
- Strike rate: 72.59
Kallis spent more time batting at number three for South Africa, but the truth is his average is better at four.
While he absolutely must be selected for this team given the balance he offers as one of the best allrounders of all time, he also needs to be accommodated in a spot that plays to the strengths of others.
If Kallis bats at three then it is hard to find a spot for Faf du Plessis, who, as it turns out, boasts a better batting average than Kallis at first wicket down.
It means AB de Villiers, who averages a fantastic 53.11 batting four, shifts down a spot to five. However you look at it though, Kallis is a must. His calm assured brilliance and his consistent ability to get runs all over the world make him a key element of this all-star Proteas team.
5. AB de Villiers
- Innings: 42
- Average: 77.96
- Strike rate: 108.97
Mr. 360 as he is known, De Villiers had the ability to score runs all around the ground. A true all-format player, De Villiers played the bulk of his ODI cricket batting at four, but his average at five is his best.
Picking De Villiers at fours allows us to find space for Faf du Plessis. De Villiers was the complete package; his success seemingly derived from the fact that he always had time.
Never rushed, De Villiers was the supreme inventor who could find the fence no matter what was bowled at him. When he wasn’t improvising, he had the ability to simply power balls to the ropes.
An entertainer with the bat and an exceptional fielder, De Villiers is the first name picked for this team.
6. David Miller
- Innings: 96
- Average: 39.94
- Strike rate: 104.54
Almost the perfect ODI player, David Miller, is an exceptional fielder and a calm and considered finisher – one of the best who has ever played the game, a his 24 not out knocks suggest.
Miller is an adaptable player who seemingly has the ability to cut loose as and when the situation requires.
He can build an innings or start hitting from the get-go. Underrated by many, Miller is one of the great sixes of all time with stats that compare favourably to the likes of MS Dhoni from India or Michael Hussey and Michael Bevan of Australia.
7. Jonty Rhodes
- Innings: 220
- Average: 35.00
- Strike rate: 80.90
No all-star South African ODI side can be complete without the incomparable Jonty Rhodes.
Traditionally the seven or eight spot is reserved for a keeper, but with QdK fulfilling the role of gloveman, a space opens up in the middle order for a player who revolutionized fielding and who brought so much to the mix for his side beyond runs.
Rhodes is one of the few players who could claim a place in a side based on the weight of runs saved rather than the weight of runs scored. His numbers as a batsman aren’t bad, but it’s his contributions in the field that see him selected here.
8. Lance Klusener
- Innings: 137
- Average: 41.10
- Strike rate: 89.91
- Wickets: 192
- Average: 29.95
- Strike rate: 38.20
Like Kallis, Klusener was a genuine allrounder, especially in ODIs, a format that suited his skillset perfectly. A powerful left-handed batsman and a deceptively quick right arm bowler, Klusener is seventh on the list of all-time Proteas wicket-takers with 192 scalps.
His batting average meanwhile is a sensational 41.10. Although David Miller may have usurped him as the Proteas greatest ever finisher, Klusener was nevertheless a master at the back end of ODI innings.
With his heavy bat and powerful shoulders, the man they called ‘Zulu’ bailed South Africa out of many tight situations.
9. Shaun Pollock (captain)
- Innings: 205
- Average: 26.45
- Strike rate: 86.69
- Wickets: 393
- Average: 24.50
- Strike rate: 39.90
South Africa’s all-time leading ODI wicket-taker with 387 scalps, Pollock was more than just an excellent bowler, he was also a very good captain and an accomplished allrounder.
His highest ODI score was 130 and his average 26.45 – those are some pretty outstanding numbers for a player selected to come in at nine. Pollock’s numbers are exceptional; his bowling average is 24.50, economy rate is 3.67 and his strike rate is 39.9.
10. Allan Donald
- Wickets: 272
- Average: 21.78
- Strike rate: 31.40
When you have to pick one out of Donald, Rabada, Steyn and Ntini it is a pretty difficult task – they all have their merits, and they have all did incredible things for South Africa. But it is Donald who wins out in the end with superior stats in almost every department.
His average of 21.78 is better than all his rivals as is his economy rate (he is second only to Shaun Pollock). Interestingly his strike-rate is bettered only by two bowlers (with 100 wickets or more for SA), neither of whom were really considered for this team.
Donald’s 31.4 is beaten by under-rated duo Morne Morkel (31.0) and Lungi Ngidi (30.2).
11. Imran Tahir
- Wickets: 173
- Average: 24.83
- Strike rate: 32.00
While South Africa has been blessed with a wealth of top performing quicks, spin hasn’t always been an area of abundance for the Proteas.
A few names, like Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Nicky Boje springs to mind, but the best performing spinner for South Africa in ODIs has been Imran Tahir.
With an abundance of energy and a pocketful of variations Tahir is eighth on the all-time list of Protea wicket-takers. His best ever performance with the ball in an ODI was an incredible seven for 45 against the West Indies in 2016.
Best South Africa ODI team ever
1. Hashim Amla
2. Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper)
3. Faf du Plessis
4. Jacques Kallis
5. AB de Villiers
6. David Miller
7. Jonty Rhodes
8. Lance Klusener
9. Shaun Pollock (captain)
10. Allan Donald
11. Imran Tahir
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