Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
“We rely too much on our spinners”, said Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews. In other news, grass is green and the sky is blue.
Sri Lanka have now lost 10 ODIs in a row against South Africa, to go with their terrible year in ODIs in 2017. While Angelo Mathews’ statement about spinners is obvious, their batting has been a trainwreck, giving their bowlers little chance of defending mediocre totals. Only Niroshan Dickwella and Angelo Mathews offered meaningful resistance in the 2nd ODI, and if they are to win here, they desperately need a more cohesive batting display.
South Africa cruised for the second match in a row, providing some joy after a difficult Test series. That Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla showed good form is promising, and so too Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy, along with the bowlers who are all over Sri Lanka at the moment. One player South Africa would like to see do well is Aiden Markram, who is having a difficult tour so far. The series is up for grabs today in Kandy and South Africa look good to take it out.
Key to a Sri Lanka win
Don’t need to be Einstein to figure out what Sri Lanka need to improve on to win this match.
Angelo Mathews
copped some criticism for his scoring rate on Wednesday, but in all fairness, if he got out early, who would have got Sri Lanka even to 200? Following on from their 193 in the first ODI, Sri Lanka’s batting simply needs to lift, and there is no better time than a must-win clash at Kandy to do it.
Also, the Lankan bowlers haven’t been able to reel in South Africa’s batsmen when they have been on the charge. Bowling first or having more runs to defend today would be ideal to see what the spinners especially can offer.
Key to a South Africa win
The template has been set.
Early wickets with the ball have been a key feature for the Proteas in this series, and they haven’t looked back. Willem Mulder and Andile Phuhlekwayo, two bowlers who were expensive in the 1st ODI, bowled beautifully in the 2nd, backing up Rabada, Ngidi and Shamsi very well. There was rarely opportunity for release for Sri Lanka’s batsmen, and more of the same will be the order of the day here.
Also, can Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla provide a good start again, with Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy continuing their good touch in the middle order? As mentioned, runs from Aiden Markram as well in a South Africa win would represent the perfect day…
Possible teams
For Sri Lanka, Dhananjaya de Silva could come in for Shehan Jayasuriya
Sri Lanka possible XI: 1. Kusal Perera, 2. Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 3. Upul Tharanga, 4. Kusal Mendis, 5. Angelo Mathews (c), 6. Shehan Jayasuriya/Dhananjaya de Silva, 7. Thisara Perera, 8. Akila Dananjaya, 9. Suranga Lakmal, 10. Lakshan Sandakan, 11. Ksaun Rajitha
There has been a desire among South Africa fans to see some experimentation with the squad, but the Proteas will probably wait until the series is wrapped up first before making changes.
South Africa possible XI: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Hashim Amla, 3. Aiden Markram, 4. Faf du Plessis (c), 5. JP Duminy, 6. David Miller, 7. Willem Mulder, 8. Andile Phuhlekwayo, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Lungi Ngidi, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi
Stats and Facts
- South Africa have won their last 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka.
- Excluding the Tri-Series v Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in January 2018, the last time Sri Lanka enjoyed success in ODIs was in another Tri-Series involving Zimbabwe and West Indies in 2016/17.
- Sri Lanka have lost 27 out of the 35 ODIs they have played since the start of 2017.
Prediction
I picked Sri Lanka to do well in my first two previews, but they have let me down. I back South Africa to take the series in the 3rd ODI, as they are looking far better than their opponents at the moment.
