IF the World Test Championship has allowed for more context to the Test series, the ICC ODI Super League has done so for ODI bilateral series.
The system which was introduced and put into place in 2020 is a pathway to the World Cup 2023. Some of the teams will qualify directly for the big event in India in 2023. However, the path to achieving that for South Africa seems a little bumpy.
At this point, if you take a look at the ODI Super League table, South Africa are ranked 13th (last) with nine points from three matches. To further understand what it means for the Proteas, we have to first address how the ODI Super League actually works. It starts with 32 nations engaging in several cricket series and tournaments in order to become one of the 10 teams at the 2023 World Cup.
The 32 teams have been divided into three leagues – Super League, League 2, and Challenge League. From the Super League, top seven teams plus hosts, India will directly qualify for the World Cup. The rest of the five teams will go to the ICC World Cup qualifier to find a spot in the World Cup.
The 13 teams consist of all 12 Test-playing nations along with The Netherlands, who won the ICC World Cricket League Championship (2015-17) to qualify for this cycle of the Super League.
Interestingly, the 13th ranked team at the end of the Super League will also be relegated to League 2. Talking about the format and points systems, each of the teams will play a total of 24 ODIs in the Super League. They will engage in four away ODI series (three matches each) and four home ODI series (three matches each). Every win gives a team 10 points with a loss meaning zero points while a tie or draw means five points.

The thing with South Africa is their scheduling. They lost 2-1 to Pakistan at home. On top of that, they reduced their points to 9 from 10, due to a slow over-rate. The four opponents that they won’t play during the cycle have yielded more points for them than the matches which they will play.
South Africa will not play series against New Zealand, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and West Indies. They would have fancied winning all these series except for the one against New Zealand maybe. Instead, they will have their work cut out against teams like India, Australia, and to an extent even Bangladesh.
On the other hand, we have Afghanistan, who have started their league with a 3-0 win against Ireland. They will not be playing against England, New Zealand, South Africa, and West Indies. Instead, their next round series are against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and The Netherlands, all of these three series are matches where they would fancy themselves.
They still have to play against Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Australia. (CricTracker)