AB de Villiers at a training session at the Adelaide Oval (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Experimentation will be the key for the Proteas in the warm-up One-Day International (ODI) against the Netherlands at Amstelveen on Friday.
Captain AB de Villiers says he will be giving all the members in the playing XI a “full run-in” and is likely to rest the fast bowlers who took part in the IPL.
“We are still a long way out to our first game,” he said in Amsterdam on Thursday.
“We still have a warm-up game against Pakistan when we get to the UK, that is where we will probably play our strongest XI.
“A lot of guys who have come from the IPL are still quite fatigued from that tournament so some of our fast bowlers might be rested for tomorrow.”
The match is the culmination of a five-day stay in Amsterdam, which De Villiers feels has been refreshing, especially because of the isolation from the ICC Champions Trophy hype.
With the majority of the squad coming off an inactive off-season, the activities this week have done much to loosen the rust.
“We have had a great time in Amsterdam; I think it was the perfect preparation for us away from the hype of the ICC Champions Trophy.
“It’s a massive tournament for us and we would like to do well. A team like ours needs a bit of time away and we’ve had five days of fitness work and touching base with where we are as an ODI unit.
“The preparations have gone really well,” he added. “We have had a few days of good nets and the warm-up match tomorrow will be a good outing for us.”
The Proteas depart for London on Saturday ahead of their warm-up match against Pakistan at the Oval on Monday.
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