Some of the players are tired mentally and physically, admits Faf du Plessis

After blowing Pakistan away 3-0 in the Test series, South Africa did not quite have the same touch in the ODIs. Even though they came back strongly in the five-match series after losing the first game to take a 2-1 lead, the visitors led by Shoaib Malik beat them by 8 wickets in the fourth game in Johannesburg to square it. It now goes down to the decider in Cape Town on Wednesday where the hosts will look to avoid another home series loss since their 1-5 defeat to India last year.

Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis, who himself has missed games this season owing to injury, expressed concern after the thrashing at Wanderers on Sunday. The concern is over fatigue and the captain said there were quite a few “tired bodies” in the camp. The hosts saw a dramatic batting collapse in Johannesburg where they got bowled out for 164 from 119 for three. Pakistan overhauled the target with 111 balls to spare and ended South Africa’s winning streak in pink.

“There was some average cricket from us, but some very good cricket from Pakistan. It’s tough to look at the positives,” Du Plessis told reporters in Johannesburg after the loss.

“I’m picking up lots of valuable lessons about the balance of the side, looking at what we’re missing at the moment. Even though we are losing, I assume the younger guys are getting a lot of experience. I can speak for myself, even when losing, there’s clarity on how I see us moving forward with the team.”

Proteas’ tight schedule

South African players have a tight schedule coming up after the Pakistan series. Sri Lanka will be travelling to the rainbow nation for two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is. The Indian Premier League is lined up then followed by the World Cup. South Africa will take on England in the first match of the mega event at the Oval on May 30.

“That’s in the back of my mind when I can see that some of the guys are tired, mentally and physically. It’s a balancing act, we’ve got a big game that’s coming up but it’s really important that we also make sure that we have guys getting enough game time as well,” Faf du Plessis further added.

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