South Africa goes into a three-match ODI series against England

Along with Ireland, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, South Africa is lagging behind in the World Cup Super League rankings and is vying for the final automatic qualifying spot for the event in India later this year. They are currently in 11th place in the standings after forfeiting three one-day internationals (ODIs) against Australia this month to make room for Cricket South Africa's new Twenty20 league. However, if they defeat England 3-0 and then triumph in their final two qualifying ODIs at home against the Netherlands, who are currently last in the 13-team standings, they will be guaranteed to advance.

Any misstep leaves the door open for one of the other pursuing teams to qualify, which might condemn South Africa—who has advanced to four World Cup semifinals in eight appearances—to the humiliation of competing in a pre-qualifying competition in the middle of the year.