New Zealand did the Proteas a massive favour in Auckland on Saturday, thrashing Sri Lanka by 198 runs to win the first of three ODIs.
South Africa and Sri Lanka are fighting to secure automatic qualification to the 2023 50-over World Cup in India later this year, and this series counts towards log points in the ICC World Super League.
Saturday's result effectively means that the Proteas now have their fate back in their own hands, to an extent, and if they can secure a 2-0 series win over the Netherlands on 31 March and 2 April, then they will almost certainly qualify.
Ireland would still be able to finish level on points with the Proteas if they beat Bangladesh 3-0 in their upcoming ODI series, potentially moving the Proteas into the World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June, but Sri Lanka were considered the more likely threat.