Faf du Plessis still looking for balance in ODI team

"Pakistan are a very good one-day side and probably they would be the first to say that from a performance point of view, their one-day team is much stronger," du Plessis said on Friday, 18 January, the eve of the first ODI.

"We're a one-day side that's still trying to find that balance in our team. With Quinny [de Kock] and Dale [Steyn] not here in the first two games, it actually gives us an opportunity to look at what else we need to look at, which is important."

While most of South Africa's playing XI is more or less sorted ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, the all-rounder's spot remains a concern. With JP Duminy out of the series with injury, du Plessis hopes that one of Andile Phehlukwayo, Wiaan Mulder, Chris Morris and Dwaine Pretorius will make his claim for a permanent berth in the side.

"It is an answer that I'm hoping to give to you after this series," said du Plessis, when asked about who can claim the all-rounder's spot. "We're hoping that over the next 10 games, over the Sri Lanka series as well, all the all-rounders that are there in Andile Phehlukwayo, Wiaan Mulder, Chris Morris and Dwaine Pretorius, that you'll at least have one or two of those guys who really put their hand up and shout to the selectors 'pick me'."

South Africa have rested the experienced Steyn and de Kock for the first two ODIs, while pacer Lungi Ngidi misses out due to injury. Top-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen and right-arm seamer Duanne Olivier have been drafted in instead.

"I was impressed with the one or two games he played in the T20 side, but it was just really hard to fit him into the Australia squad," said du Plessis about van der Dussen. "There's a lot of competition for the batters. There are a lot of options available. And then he had a great Mzansi Super League. He's been knocking on the door very hard, so it's a great time for him to get an opportunity after all the runs he's scored."

As for the bowling, he said, "We're always looking at X-factor players in our bowling attack. So Lungi, Dale and KG [Rabada] are fantastic seamers and they pick themselves, but possibly as one back-up extra seamer, we've got some nice pace bowlers in our country. Duanne Olivier is one."