Sri Lanka will face South Africa in the 1st of 3 T20 Internationals at Cape Town on the 19th of March. Success has been split during the tour so far, with Sri Lanka claiming the Test series 2-0, while the hosts cruised to 5-0 series win in the ODIs.
With the 50-over World Cup around the corner, both teams will be looking to use the 3 T20Is to fine tune their limited over skills, in what is the last bit of international cricket they will get before the showpiece event in England this May.
Recent form
Sri Lanka haven’t played a 3 match T20I series since December 2017, and thus have been unable to build any sort of momentum over the format over the past couple of years. Nevertheless, their form in limited overs cricket has left much to be desired – they have lost 4 of their last 5 T20Is and are yet to get on the board in colored clothing this year.
South Africa, on the other hand, beat Pakistan in a 3-match series earlier this year and if their form in the ODIs is anything to go by, they will be hard to beat in the shortest format of the game as well. They have won 4 of their 5 last T20Is.
South Africa completes whitewash
South Africa have won the fifth and final ODI by 41 runs (D/L) at Cape Town to seal the ODI series against Sri Lanka…
Head to head
In terms of head to head, it’s pretty even between the two teams, with each winning 5 games of the 10 in which they’ve faced off. Sri Lanka will take heart from the fact that they’ve beaten the Proteas on all three occasions they’ve met during the past couple of years – notably Sri Lanka beat South Africa 2-1 the last time they toured the African nation (back in 2017).
Interestingly, the teams have not featured in any high scoring affairs against each other, with the highest total being 170 which Sri Lanka got, incidentally in Cape Town.
Photos: Sri Lanka Practices ahead of 1st T20I Match in Cape Town
Players to watch out for
Sri Lanka’s limited overs skipper Lasith Malinga is under some pressure with talks floating around that there may be a change of captaincy before the World Cup rolls around. The outspoken quick has not looked his best of late, but there is no doubt that if he is able to get his act together, Sri Lanka will look a more threatening outfit.
Chief Selector Asantha De Mel has gone on record to state that Suranga Lakmal is someone the team is looking at for the World Cup and this will be the Test spearhead’s chance to book his ticket to England. He has tended to leak runs in the limited overs game, but looking at the Sri Lankan bowling line-up it is difficult to identify anyone who hasn’t.
Video – Russel Arnold explains the XI for the 1st T20I
Former Sri Lanka Test cricketer Russel Arnold previews the 1st T20I between Sri Lanka and South Africa which…
Quinton de Kock – it’s difficult to say if he has had a brilliant tour or a somewhat disappointing one so far. From the team’s point of view, the Proteas would be thrilled at his form, with him crossing the 50-run mark on 7 of the 9 occasions he’s batted. However, he would be slightly disappointed that he’s only been able to convert one of those to centuries, despite looking like he would do so on more than 2-3 instances.
It is hard to imagine that South Africa may go into the World Cup without Dale Steyn assured of a place in the starting XI, but that is the situation the great man finds himself in, after missing a lot of cricket due to a shoulder injury over the past year and a half. He has an opportunity to press his case further in the T20I series and maybe prove his indispensability with the new ball.
The Teams
Both teams have made multiple changes to the playing XI over the ODI series – expect that to continue here too, with Sri Lanka in particular bringing in some fresh blood to the squad.
Sri Lanka Probable XI: Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Angelo Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Suranga Lakmal, Jeffery Vandersay, Lasith Malinga ©
South Africa Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis ©, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir
Final say
Sri Lanka looked listless in the 5 ODIs and were deservedly thumped 5-0. However, having 3 T20Is to play, they still have a chance of finishing this tour – which began in historic fashion – on a high.
