England vs South Africa 2017: 5 players to watch out for in the One Day series

With the Champions Trophy imminent, two of the favourites going into the multi-nation tournament clash in a three-match One-Day series. South Africa, who are going into an ICC tournament as the favourites for the umpteenth time will be taking on England in their backyard in a series that should also serve as a warm-up to the main event.

England have made elephantine steps in One Day Internationals since the 2015 World Cup and have rejigged their side completely. The effects bore fruit in the World T20last year when they reached the finals only to lose out to West Indies because of Carlos Braithwaite’s heroics in the final over.

Ben Stokes, who delivered that horror show of a last over has seemingly recovered from that loss along with his team and go into the Champions Trophy in decent shape.

Their opponents, South Africa, are ranked number one in the format and boast of some prodigious talent in their ranks. While the Champions Trophy will present an altogether different challenge, the Proteas head into this series as the favourites to win.

With the 1st ODI in Leeds in 24th of May, we take a look at five players to watch out for in the three-match series.

#5 Jason Roy

Jason Roy

The elegant England opener is symbolic of the wave of change the England limited overs team has undergone. An attacking batsman who loves to play his flat batted shots, Roy has risen to prominence at the top of the England batting line-up.

A frustrating IPL season with Gujarat Lions saw him benched for a large duration of the season because of the franchises' strength at the top. Roy soon made it evident that he wasn't pleased with the bench time and returned to England to play in the series against Ireland. Roy's starts will be vital for England against a powerful bowling line-up.

#4 Quinton de Kock

De Kock showed little rust while slamming a hundred in the warm-up game

The sensational South African opener won five awards at the CSA award night last week including the Cricketer of The Year, Test Cricketer of The Year and ODI Cricketer of The Year awards. The wicket-keeper batsman has come of age and is delivering on a consistent basis for the Proteas.

He returned from injury for the warm-up games in England and promptly slammed a hundred on his comeback. Having missed the IPL, the left-hander is fresh and looks in great touch – that is bad news for the hosts who will be looking to keep him silent in the series. De Kock's rapport with Hashim Amla makes him a rather dangerous batsman at the top of the order for the Proteas.

#3 Ben Stokes

Fresh from a great IPL, Ben Stokes will be looking to improve on his ODI record

The Most Valuable Player of the IPL, Ben Stokes won accolades for a superb show in the Indian subcontinent for his franchise, Rising Pune Supergiant. He smashed a hundred apart from being economical with the ball and taking crucial wickets. Stokes' value multiplied as he showed how valuable he can be by pulling off two of the most spectacular catches of the tournament as well.

England have built their line-up around Stokes in the limited overs formats, further underlining his importance in the upcoming Champions League. An effective death bowler, Stokes' task will be to deal with a power packed South African lower middle-order. His bounce and pace will also be vital to containing the likes of AB de Villiers and David Miller. He will also be expected to make contributions with the bat, giving England some real lower in the lower middle order.

#2 Chris Morris

Morris is likely to take the new ball with Rabada in the Champions Trophy

South Africa for once have no headache for their lower middle order going into a major tournament courtesy the flamboyant Chris Morris. The Titans all-rounder has played a big role in stabilising the Proteas line-up which was struggling to find the right balance post-Jacques Kallis' retirement in terms of getting a player who can be effective both the ball as well as the bat.

Morris proved his value as a big hitter and death bowler in the IPL, playing for the Delhi Daredevils. In the last ODI series between these two sides, in South Africa, Morris played two match-winning knocks with the bat that turned the series on its head. He has improved vastly with his economy and death bowling of late and is expected to partner Rabada up front as well.

#1 Morne Morkel

Morkel will be looking to cement his spot in the starting XI for the Champions Trophy

The tall, lanky fast bowler was recalled to the ODI team post a rather long hiatus due to injury. He has had to prove his match fitness and his skills remain as sharp as ever – something he showcased in the Test series against the Kiwis. Morkel hassled the batsmen for pace and bowled sharp bouncers all the while keeping his pace up in that Test series.

He is one of the few South African bowlers particularly familiar with the English conditions and this makes him a favourite to start in the eleven ahead of Dwaine Pretorius or Andile Phehlukwayo. Morkel is particularly a handful on the pitches in England that is conducive to movement and he can also extract bounce out of any surface due to his natural height – which makes him a dangerous bowler to face at the start of the innings. His death bowling skills have never been great but if the Proteas use him well, Morkel could be the experienced hand that this young fast bowling unit needs.