Ahead of the 2027 World Cup, five specialists in the Proteas squad's batting order are undergoing intensive selection during the upcoming ODI series against Australia. These players are competing for just two available spots alongside the already established leaders Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram.
Shukri Conrad openly stated his desire to give 'everyone an equal chance' to secure a spot in the World Cup. This means that young players such as Lhuandree Pretoria, Connor Esterhuizen, and Jordan Herman, who impressed during the recent tour of Namibia, may participate in the subsequent series in Bangladesh.
However, at the moment, Bavuma, Markram, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, and Tony de Zorzi are vying for a place in the top three.
Australia Tour of South Africa
A difficult issue for everyone except possibly Conrad is De Kock's change of decision to leave the ODI format. Conrad believes the 50-over format is best for De Kock, and the experience of the returning veteran, along with his recent form, makes him close to being the number one choice, including the wicketkeeper position.
This one fact could potentially displace Rickelton, although he participated in the T20 World Cup where he played in the third spot and became Proteas' second highest scorer in the tournament. Unfortunately, his performances in the ODI format do not match this level. After a debut century in ODIs against Afghanistan in February, the left-hander scored two consecutive zeros against India, and his average now stands at 28, with the highest score being 35 in the last 10 ODIs.
In contrast, de Zorzi's performances deserve serious attention despite constant questions about his inclusion in ODI squads. This left-hander with dreadlocks has amassed 856 runs at an average of 40.76, scoring two half-centuries in the last two matches. Conrad also noted that de Zorzi's versatility, allowing him to play almost any position from 1 to 5, is very useful as a reserve player in the final 15-man squad for the World Cup.
This leaves Bavuma and Markram, although the latter misses the opening match of the series in Kingsmead. Bavuma achieved most of his success playing at number one in ODIs since his century debut against Ireland in 2016. The captain has an average of 48.64 when coming out with the new ball, compared to a career average of 42.39, and has scored four of his five ODI centuries at the top order.
However, it is more likely that Bavuma will drop to the third spot, and Conrad will allow Markram to take the number one spot alongside De Kock. Markram's ODI average of 37.03 while batting at number one and only one century does not justify such a priority. In fact, he demonstrated much greater potential at the fourth position, where he scored three centuries and has a more modest average of 42.91. Markram was particularly consistent in the middle order during the last World Cup in India, where he scored a century—his last, 17 matches ago—and three half-centuries, achieving an average of 45.11 at a strike rate of 110.92.
But sometimes the coach has to rely on intuition, and Markram is certainly one such choice for Conrad, especially due to his ability to perform in crucial moments, notably in last year's WTC final at Lord's, as well as being South Africa's top scorer in the T20 World Cup this year, where he was also entrusted with the number one spot.
Opportunities at the top seem closed, but major achievements by players like Rickelton and de Zorzi against a high-caliber team like Australia could suddenly change the situation in their favor.