Tuesday 23 May 2017 21:40, UK
A rarity before a major ICC tournament, but England are favourites with the bookmakers to win this summer's Champions Trophy - which you can watch on Sky Sports from June 1.
Understandable, perhaps, considering the side's remarkable rise since a disastrous 2015 World Cup, but standing in their way, among others, are defending champions India and world champions Australia.
Conspicuous by their absence from that list though is the world's No 1 ranked ODI team - so why is it exactly that South Africa aren't being talked about more?
The Proteas, at 4-1 with Sky Bet, are by no means considered outsiders, but why does being ranked first translate to being only fourth favourite? Especially when you consider they also boast the No 1 ranked batsman and bowler in the game.
AB de Villiers needs no introduction, while Imran Tahir is undoubtedly the premier white-ball spinner in the game - his IPL haul of 18 wickets at 20.50 for Rising Pune Supergiant adding further emphasis to that claim.
However, for a change, it is the South African team as a collective that has flourished in the rise to top spot - their record-equalling sequence of 12 ODI wins in a row from September through to February, for example, was done so without the services of De Villiers to injury for half of those games.
South Africa have often entered major tournament's with a collection of supremely individual talented individuals - Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, De Villiers, Shaun Pollock etc - but it has been getting them to gel as a collective that has often proved beyond them.
Labelled as perennial 'chokers' at major tournaments, the weight of expectation has burdened them too often before. So, could this finally be their year - the one where they fly under the radar?
Giving further credence to the unity in the South African set-up is the ease at which they have dealt with the loss of key squad members to Kolpak deals in county cricket.
Near certain Champions Trophy starter Kyle Abbott stunned the country when he announced after the second Test against Sri Lanka in January that he was signing for Hampshire, as did promising batsman Rilee Rossouw soon after.
They've joined Colin Ingram, Richard Levi, David Wiese, Stiaan van Zyl, Rory Kleinveldt, Simon Harmer and Hardus Viljoen - all of whom have played international cricket in the recent past - to defect to the English countryside and the lure of the pound.
"We've been quite exposed to quite a lot of these types of incidents in our domestic game over the years," former South African captain Shaun Pollock told Sky Sports.
"But one thing we do have as South Africans is a wonderful ability to accept whatever transpires and look to move on. I feel that's where the team is at."
That resilience has been evident, as far from exposing a lack of depth in South African cricket, the Kolpak dilemma has allowed for opportunities for the likes of Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius, both of whom have impressed since making their debuts against Ireland to kick-start the side's winning run.
Pretorius returned stunning figures of 3-5 in 5.2 overs in a Wellington win over New Zealand, while in only his fourth ODI, Phehlukwayo showed nerves of steel in striking a crucial 42 not out off 39 balls to see South Africa chase down 371 in the intense atmosphere of a Durban ODI against Australia. Chokers? Hardly.
Despite the presence - and strong performances - of some lesser-known names, there is no means to say this South African side are better than the sum of their parts.
There's still the aforementioned De Villiers and Tahir, the sublime skill of Hashim Amla, the power-hitting of David Miller, experienced head in Faf du Plessis and the raw pace of Kagiso Rabada.
Also, there is the supremely talented Quinton de Kock, who is surely set to take the tournament by storm. The 2015 World Cup perhaps came a little too early for the destructive opener - 145 runs at only 20.71 - but he has hit six centuries since, averaging 49.75.
Meanwhile, million dollar man in the 2015 IPL auction, Chris Morris, has gone from laughing stock to one of the game's premier all-rounders, along with Ben Stokes.
The two will meet with the three-match ODI series between England and South Africa - the opener at Headingley on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 2 from 1.30pm - which serves as the ideal preparation for both ahead of the Champions Trophy.
"The team is in a good place, going into the Champions Trophy as number one" adds Pollock. "They've played some really good cricket of late without really being challenged in the last few ODI series - Australia were missing the bulk of their bowling attack, Sri Lanka struggled to compete and New Zealand were missing key components of their side.
"Playing a full-strength, balanced England side, in England, ahead of the tournament is ideal preparation for them as they will be able to gauge where they are and get a good feel for the conditions."
The series similarly serves as the perfect preparation for England too, a challenge against more testing opposition than the recently-defeated West Indies and Ireland.
An England win will truly justify their tag as tournament favourites, while another success for South Africa and expect those odds of theirs to be slashed.
Watch the first ODI between England and South Africa at Headingley, live on Sky Sports 2 from 1.30pm on Wednesday.
