Cape Town - Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis has revealed that team management are considering giving Aiden Markram a shot ahead of the fifth and final ODI against Pakistan at Newlands on Wednesday.
The Proteas suffered a crushing defeat in the PinkDay ODI at the Wanderers that saw the visitors level the series 2-2.
Markram sat on the sidelines as newcomer Rassie van der Dussen made his mark in the ongoing ODI series with two fifties in his first two outings.
Van der Dussen's excellent debut has put serious doubt over Markram's Cricket World Cup berth in England.
The tournament gets underway on May 30 when the Proteas take on the host nation, and with just SIX ODIs left for South Africa between now and then, Markram needs to prove his worth as soon as possible.
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Following the Proteas' collapse at the Wanderers, which saw the hosts bowled out for a paltry 164, Du Plessis believes there is still an opportunity for Markram in the one-day side.
"It's tough. Rassie came in and obviously done really well and has possibly taken Aiden's chances away," Du Plessis told reporters on Sunday.
"We'll have to discuss with the selectors and see if there is a possibility of giving him an opportunity in the next game.
"It is still a possibility, not sure whether it'll happen or not. As you can see there's quite a lot of batters at the top of the order that's competing for one, two and three. Probably less batters in our squad that's competing for No 5 and 6, which makes it very tough on Aiden.
"But if we feel that's a decision that we can make, that is a decision that will take us forward in our planning then it's something we will consider."
Markram has played 15 ODIs for the Proteas to date, scoring 407 runs thus far at an average of 25.43.
The deciding fifth and final ODI starts at 13:00 on Wednesday.