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AB: It's make or break

Harare - The Proteas' One-Day International (ODI) squad will have an opportunity to assess their progress when they take on Australia in the Triangular series final at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

The Proteas have won eight out of the 10 ODI’s they have played this year, and a win against second-placed Australia will be a positive marker for the squad.

"It’s a great test for us," captain, AB De Villiers said on Friday afternoon.

"We lost to them in the last game so we would like to fix things.

"It’s a make-or-break game; these are the games that you want to be part of, the kind of games in which you want to test yourself.

"It’s a great opportunity for us to go one-up on them before we head to Australia later this year."

The Proteas opted for the extra batsman against Zimbabwe, but may not necessarily go with the same approach against Australia.

"We played the extra batsman because of the situation we were confronted with, especially keeping in mind the bonus point situation," De Villiers said.

"We played the extra batsman because we felt it was important to have runs on the board.

"It worked yesterday but we know that Australia is a different opponent," he said.

"It’s a possibility (playing two spinners), but we will have to sit down with the selectors today to finalise the XI."

De Villiers, by his own high standards, has had a quiet tour with the bat, but remains confident of his current form.

"I don’t mind that, I’m still in great form," he said of his “freak” dismissals.

"I enjoyed the way I batted yesterday; to play at a run a ball on that wicket was difficult but I managed to do that.

"I felt really good and managed to tick some boxes, I’m not really phased by the dismissals."

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