South Africa beat Australia 2-1 in their recent ODI series. The Proteas can take a lot from the three matches.

Miller is the man, after all

• Questions were being asked of his spot in the first-choice XI, but David Miller is peaking at the right time, and has all but banked a berth in the World Cup squad.

It’s OK, despite De Villiers’ absence

• A middle order minus AB de Villiers – and Hashim Amla and JP Duminy – did well in Australia. Miller and Faf du Plessis were key, yes, but the support acts shone well enough, too.

Staying power of Steyn

• A poor run of form for Dale Steyn in Australia would’ve have unsettled the composition of the bowling attack going forward, but has instead galvanised it.

Pretorius in the pecking order

• Dwaine Pretorius’ favour was slipping with the selectors. A decent showing in Australia will keep them mindful of his standing among the country’s other seaming all-rounders.

It’s time to ask the tough questions

• Names like Chris Morris, Tabraiz Shamsi and Farhaan Behardien didn’t feature in the three ODIs. That’s not necessarily an outright sign, but suggests which way the selectors are leaning.

Derailing the kingpins

• The confident manner in which Miller and Du Plessis attacked Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, in particular, bodes well for when the Proteas come up against other big-ticket players next year.

Opening questions

• Fans and critics alike mustn’t get too caught up in the inability of Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock to fire collectively in Australia. Amla will soon be back.

Big match temperament 

• The cool and calm dismantling of the reigning champions in the third ODI, after losing the second, is entirely promising for a team known for losing BMT when it counts most.

The one-off T20I

• South Africa have a substantial break before ending the tour with a one-off T20I. They must not switch off. Instead, they should hammer home a message with another good win in Carrara.