Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Man, that wasn’t good from Sri Lanka in the first ODI.
The first ODI was an extension of Sri Lanka’s ODI troubles. They won five of 29 ODIs last year and lost a game each to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in early January. After a successful Test series, you would think that a similar template could be used for the ODI series. Thing is… when you’re five down inside the first nine overs, the game is as good as gone. Sri Lanka desperately need to hit some form with the World Cup fast approaching. 2-0 down here and it will be very hard to come back from.
For South Africa, it was a similar story to what Bangladesh have experienced in the Caribbean. After a nightmare Test series, where they were spun into webs larger than what you’ll see in Australia, they bounced back on the back of four-fors from Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi. Then JP Duminy completely dominated in what could have been a tricky situation for the visitors in the chase, and saw them home with 114 balls to spare. Encouraging signs for the Proteas.
Key to a Sri Lanka win
The pitch in Dambulla for the first ODI had a little in it for the seamers early, but the Sri Lankan dismissals were putrid.
Niroshan Dickwella surprised us all by chipped a Kagiso Rabada low full toss on leg stump to mid on, and then Upul Tharanga ran himself out. Mathews and Jayasuriya thought “what the heck” and threw their bat aimlessly at the ball for two more soft dismissals. All of a sudden, they slumped to 36/5 in 8.5 overs. Yeah, not the best start.
The two Pereras, Kusal and Thisara, should that they have good striking abilities in their brisk 88 run stand. The top order needs to show a lot more stomach for the fight to set up a platform for the lower order to finish well, especially with Andile Phuhlekwayo and Willem Mulder expensive. A score of 250 would have been very interesting in Dambulla.
Why I say that is because Sri Lanka’s spinners still caused South Africa’s batsmen some issues. Amla and Markram went cheaply, and if it wasn’t for JP Duminy’s awesome knock, Sri Lanka could have still had a say in the game. Better outings from the batting, to complement the spinners, is key.
Key to a South Africa win
The South African bowlers set the tone, and they’ll be keen for another good showing in the 2nd ODI.
The game was won thanks to Sri Lanka’s inept batting, but credit to South Africa for maintaining good lines and lengths early. A better Sri Lankan fight should be expected, so South Africa need to continue attacking to try get into the wickets early. It was their template for success on Sunday, and will be the template again for success on Tuesday.
Also, there were encouraging signs from Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and especially JP Duminy. Can South Africa’s batting step up, if under pressure? Remains to be seen.
Possible teams
Despite the flop show on Sunday, expect Sri Lanka to stick with the same team for take two in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka possible XI: 1. Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2. Upul Tharanga, 3. Kusal Mendis, 4. Kusal Perera, 5. Angelo Mathews (c), 6. Shehan Jayasuriya, 7. Thisara Perera, 8. Akila Dhananjaya, 9. Suranga Lakmal, 10. Lakshan Sandakan, 11. Lahiru Kumara
Expect no changes for South Africa either after a first up victory.
Sri Lanka possible XI: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Hashim Amla, 3. Aiden Markram, 4. Faf du Plessis, 5. JP Duminy, 6. David Miller, 7. Willem Mulder, 8. Andile Phuhlekwayo, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Lungi Ngidi, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi
Stats and Facts
- Sri Lanka have lost 26 of their last 35 ODIs.
- Hashim Amla has gone 10 innings without a fifty across formats.
- Thisara and Kusal Perera scored 67.36% of Sri Lanka’s runs on Sunday.
- Tabraiz Shamsi’s 4/33 are his best ODI figures.
Prediction
It was an abomination by Sri Lanka in the first game. With this being a day-night match, a lot depends on the toss and whether there will be any dew evident.
I don’t think Sri Lanka will be that poor again. I think they will bounce back and win, to level the series 1-1.
Thanks for reading!
