Kagiso Rabada and Matthew Breetzke out of first ODI against England

That was the word from captain Temba Bavuma as he announced the team that will start the first of three matches against the Three Lions.

Rabada sustained an ankle knock on their recent tour of Australia, with Kwena Maphaka called up to the 50-over squad as cover.

They’ve made two changes from the team that lost their last ODI against the Aussies, with Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi coming in for Senuran Muthusamy and Maphaka.

"We are still managing a few guys from a workload and injury point of view. In terms of the team tomorrow, not many changes, except for the absence of Breetzke and Rabada."

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Bavuma says teenager Maphaka is still being managed, and they’re careful not to overload him with too much responsibility at this stage. He says the youngster could yet play a significant role in the overhead conditions in the UK during the series.

"Kwena is an exciting player; he is still probably on the raw side, but that makes him even more exciting. He is a bit more awkward to face than other lefties, and he may have a role to play in these weather conditions."

This tour forms part of the Proteas’ preparations for the 2027 50-over World Cup on home soil.

The skipper warned that while they do have eyes on that relatively long-term project, they should not get distracted from the immediate challenge in front of them.

South Africa have had a short turnaround between their Australian and English tours, and Bavuma revealed that they have tried as much as possible to relax in the past few days, even attending the Liverpool vs Arsenal match this past weekend.