Captain Temba Bavuma admits the Proteas' 50-over team is "not close to where we want to be" as they look to end the series against Pakistan on a high in the annual Pink ODI at the Wanderers on Sunday.
Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter has defended his team's decision to bowl first in the second ODI at Newlands after the home side fell to a loss that condemned them to a series defeat.
In a display of sheer dominance, Pakistan clinched a decisive 81-run victory over South Africa in the second ODI at Newlands, Cape Town, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Corbin Bosch has earned a maiden call-up to the Proteas Test squad for the crucial two-match series against Pakistan that starts on Boxing Day in Centurion.
Saim Ayub scored a century and Salman Aghar put in a brilliant all-round performance to help Pakistan beat Proteas by three wickets in a nail-biting ODI that went down to the wire in Paarl on Tuesday.
Temba Bavuma will miss the first ODI against Pakistan in Paarl on Tuesday as the Proteas look to rotate the squad to manage workloads ahead of the Test series over the festive period.