After failing to show up in the first Test at St. George’s Park, the obvious concern for Sri Lanka ahead of the New Year’s Test at Newlands is that they have missed the boat as far as the series is concerned. In Port Elizabeth, small crowds and a slowish wicket largely negated South Africa’s home ground advantage, but that will not be the case in Cape Town.
Angelo Mathews faults shot selection after first Test loss
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews faulted the shot selection of his batsmen after the tourists suffered a heavy 206 run loss in the first Test against South Africa
The first day’s play is already a sellout, the pitch is sporting plenty of grass and South Africa’s record at Newlands is formidable – they have lost just one of their last 14 Tests here. The Proteas have been known to steamroller lesser sides in this marquee fixture in years gone by – Sri Lanka lost by 10 wickets inside four days in their last game here and it would take a brave person to bet against a similar mauling in this fixture.
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Sri Lanka
While there were many frustrating aspects about Sri Lanka’s play in the first Test, most of them stemmed from what appeared to be a total lack of belief. Angelo Mathews seemed all too happy to concede ground and fall onto the back foot – especially in the field – and a limp performance from his side was therefore no surprise. This, more than major tweaks to the playing XI, is what will need to change if Sri Lanka to become competitive in the remaining two Tests.
If there is to be a change in personnel, it will surely come at No. 3 where Kusal Perera has looked ill-suited to the role. Although he scored a hundred and a fifty from that position just three Tests ago, his questionable approach became evident in the Test that followed, when he launched himself at Zimbabwe’s part-timer Hamilton Masakadza and holed out. Not only did he look a bit silly in the aftermath, but he put Sri Lanka in an awkward position.
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Although Upul Tharanga and Dhananjaya de Silva ultimately dug them out of that hole, Sri Lanka cannot afford such whimsical play from their No. 3 against a strong team such as South Africa, and Tharanga and de Silva look a better fit for the berth in terms of technique.
De Silva looks a natural No. 3, has generally been in good form and should bat higher than No. 7 going forward, so shifting him up the order would make the most sense if the selectors do opt for change.
Probable XI
Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal.
South Africa
As for the Proteas, they will happily take more of the same, although Faf du Plessis has challenged his players not to “settle”. There is a fresh wind of positivity blowing through the South African camp – a welcome turnaround from this time last year – and Coach Russell Domingo highlighted maintaining this as his priority for the second Test, winning aside.
“We want to win a Test series, but more importantly we want to play a positive, aggressive type of cricket where, when there are opportunities to win a game, we rather err on the expansive side more than the conservative side,” he said on Sunday (January 1). “If there’s a crunch time in the game with bat or ball, I want players to err on the positive side, rather than having an attitude of looking and seeing what happens. Hopefully this game offers us an opportunity to expand on that aspect.”
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The only question South Africa had with regards to selection was whether to rest any of their fast bowlers, but Domingo confirmed that his pace trio were ready to go again despite the short turnaround time, and so the Proteas will field an unchanged line-up.
South Africa’s bowling attack don’t boast much experience at Newlands – Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott have played just one Test apiece here, while Keshav Maharaj has none – but Vernon Philander’s record at his home ground is outstanding. In six Tests he has taken 31 wickets at an average of 19.93, which helped secure victory in all but one of those games.
Probable XI
Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis (captain), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada.
Pitch and Weather Conditions
The Newlands Test often takes place during the hottest days of the year in Cape Town, but the forecast suggests some friendlier temperatures are due over the five days with a high of 30 degrees Celsius. Rain interruptions are highly unlikely. The pitch has a greener tinge than the one from the first Test, which should create an even contest between bat and ball without tipping the balance towards the latter.
