Sri Lanka eye to level ODI series against South Africa

South Africa v Sri Lanka
2nd ODI
SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wednesday, 6 March; 13.00 local, 11.00am GMT

One match into the ODI series, the euphoria of the Test triumph is over. South Africa are back in business, dominating at home. Imran Tahir snuffed out batsmen with googlies and drifters. Faf du Plessis made a flawless century. And Quinton de Kock was belligerent at the top. These are trademark signs when things are going well for the home team.

Tahir has since announced that he will retire from ODIs after the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. What does that do to his psyche? We’ve already seen what it has done for Chris Gayle and the West Indies. Will Tahir similarly haunt Sri Lanka for the rest of this series, as Gayle did England?

Sri Lanka’s top order failed in the first ODI. Well begun is half done, and now, more than ever, ahead of a World Cup, the top orders of teams across the world will be under scrutiny. Sri Lanka’s has got the experience – in Upul Tharanga – and the belligerence – in Niroshan Dickwella – but can they bring it together?

Their middle order batsmen made runs without converting them into anything substantial, and the result was a middling total of 231 and 18 unused balls in Johannesburg. It gave the bowlers very little to defend. Even so, they underwhelmed, as South Africa wheeled away in the chase, completing it with 67 balls remaining.

The downside of that, from South Africa’s perspective, is that their middle order went untested. Barring du Plessis and David Miller, it lacks experience, and now is the time, before the World Cup begins, for those players to be thrown into the deep end. Can Sri Lanka give them that sort of competition?

Imran Tahir doesn’t have too many games left for South Africa in ODI colours

South Africa managed quite brilliantly without Dale Steyn in their attack in the first ODI, with debutant Anrich Nortje able to rein in Sri Lanka. Steyn’s return, if and when it happens, will only add more teeth to an already potent attack. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Tahir already pose enough problems for Sri Lanka to deal with.

Key players

Faf du Plessis (South Africa): The South Africa captain has at least a fifty in each of last six internationals. As one of the few experienced players in the middle order, du Plessis will be expected to hold it together, and continue piling up the runs.

Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka): The opening batsman has substantial experience of playing in these conditions. In 11 ODIs in South Africa, Tharanga has 374 runs with a hundred and two fifties. He also makes those runs at a strike-rate of 92.57 – substantially higher than his career strike-rate of 75.97.

Upul Tharanga is a more destructive batsman in South Africa than he is elsewhere

Conditions

Matches at SuperSport Park can be high-scoring, but teams with a good arsenal of slower bowlers can change that, as India showed with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal last year. There will be clouds, but rain is not expected to be much of a threat.

Squads

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Willem Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Rassie van der Dussen

Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga (c), Akila Dananjaya, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Oshada Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Angelo Perera, Kusal Perera, Priyamal Perera, Thisara Perera, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan, Upul Tharanga, Isuru Udana