Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
A desperate plea from Angelo…
There seems to be three certain things in life: death, taxes and a heavy loss for Sri Lanka in an ODI.
After a successful Test series, Sri Lanka faced a promising ODI assignment against the Proteas, an opportunity to gain confidence ahead of the World Cup next year. Instead, they face a whitewash, and have forced me to resort to a bit of a light-hearted preview instead! Because, what exactly are the hosts delivering? Not much.
Even Sydney’s train services are more reliable at the moment…
There was talk by Russell Arnold on commentary in the 3rd ODI that Sri Lanka are planning to head to England earlier to acclimatise to conditions ahead of the World Cup. ‘Fair dinkum’, they need to acclimatise to the ODI format, as they face the prospect of a fourth 5-0 loss since the start of 2017. Whether they play at home, away, in my small backyard, or against a school side, you wouldn’t like their chances.
South Africa? Well, they’re loving life all of a sudden, except Aiden Markram, who looked at the flat pitch from his seat in the dressing room, and probably wondered what he ever done to deserve this. His replacement, debutant Reeza Hendricks, set things up perfectly after Hashim Amla’s onslaught, and there was a greater chance of hell freezing over than Sri Lanka reaching the 364 target. Faf du Plessis is leaving the tour early due to injury, but he’s not missing anything important anymore. The series is already wrapped up.
Key to a Sri Lanka win
Angelo Mathews will greet South Africa’s new captain on Wednesday, but not before looking up to the heavens and saying a prayer or two. Or better yet, asking Faf politely for that extra Test!
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| Interesting press conference from Angelo last game… |
Sri Lanka, a side with talent in their line up, continue to disappoint. Since the start of 2017, they have lost 27 of 36 ODIs, and continue to face the same issues. When their bowling does pretty well, it’s their batting that stutters, and vice versa. Only a bottom two finish at next year’s World Cup seems possible right now, so what can the Lankans do to improve?
In this series, they’ve kept South Africa’s batsmen as quiet as David Warner in the field. So, not very. They have just conceded runs too quickly, and that does not help when their batting isn’t firing either. Batting first and second has been fruitless so far, so the onus is on the bowlers up front to push South Africa back, as well as the top order to get a good start.
P.S. you may as well bat Dhananjaya de Silva at number 11. A player of his quality needs to be in the top five. So, I’m hoping to see that for Sri Lanka, especially given how the current lot are doing up there…
Key to a South Africa win
Just show up.
In all seriousness, these last two games represent a good opportunity for South Africa. Firstly, get Aiden Markram back into the side and back him to get his confidence back. Secondly, they can now properly test their bench strength. Thirdly, they can develop that ruthlessness you need as a good side.
Can they torment the Sri Lanka top order again? What about Sri Lanka’s poor bowlers who simply can’t get on top? That’ll be the order of the day. A good win here will be another good confidence boost after losing 5-1 to India earlier this year.
Possible teams
Will Sri Lanka experiment? After a tough outing with the ball, there could certainly be changes in the bowling attack. However, if I correctly predict the full XI, give me a prize. Tough ask.
Sri Lanka possible XI: 1. Upul Tharanga, 2. Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 3. Kusal Perera, 4. Kusal Mendis, 5. Angelo Mathews (c), 6. Dhananjaya de Silva, 7. Thisara Perera, 8. Suranga Lakmal, 9. Kasun Rajitha, 10. Lahiru Kamara, 11. Lakshan Sandakan
South Africa are sure to experiment with the series won. It makes sense to. I can see Kagiso Rabada being rested after playing each game so far, with Junior Dala possibly coming in. Quinton de Kock will lead the team in Faf du Plessis’ absence.
South Africa possible XI: 1. Quinton de Kock (c & wk), 2. Hashim Amla, 3. Reeza Hendicks, 4. Aiden Markram, 5. JP Duminy, 6. David Miller/Heinrich Klaasen, 7. Willem Mulder, 8. Andile Phuhlekwayo, 9. Junior Dala, 10. Lungi Ngidi, 11. Tabraiz Shamsi
Stats and Facts
- Sri Lanka are facing the prospect their fourth 5-0 series loss since the beginning of 2017.
- South Africa have won 11 straight ODIs against Sri Lanka.
- Reeza Hendricks’ 103 was the third highest score by a South African on ODI debut.
Prediction
Any prediction other than a South Africa win would be a brave one. 4-0 incoming.
Thanks for reading!
