T20WC Preview: SA vs SL

The Proteas came back on the winning track against the West Indies after they lost to Australia in the 1st game. The South African middle-order is looking in good touch with Aiden Markram scoring runs consistently and Rassie Van der Dussen coming back amongst runs as well. Reeza Hendricks had played a brilliant knock in the last outing and it will be interesting to see whether they drop him or not if/when QDK returns.

Temba Bavuma too needs to step up with the bat. Their bowlers have been in great form with Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada performing consistently. Tabrez Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj are bowling well too with Dwaine Pretorius proving his utility in Death overs with his variation apart from chipping in with the ball.

Sri Lanka lost their last game after winning the first one and they too like South Africa have a win and a loss so far. They started really well against the Aussies but lost their way in the middle-overs. Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have been the consistent performers for them. Kusal Perera scored some runs last game which is a good sign for them. They’ll want their other batters to step up and take responsibility in this all-important game.
Their bowling looked too dependent on Wanindu Hasaranga and they’ll want to improve on that. The likes of Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, etc have the potential to do well. The Lankans will also like Maheesh Theekshana to continue his form from the first round.

Head to Head

Overall: SA leads 11-5
In T20WC: SA lead 2-1

 

Probable Playing 11

Quinton de Kock is expected to return after the controversial last game and will replace Reeza Hendricks.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk)/Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabrez Shamsi

No changes are expected from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana

Pitch Report

This game will be played at Sharjah. The wicket at Sharjah seems to be much better than how it was during the IPL.  Scores of around 150-170 can be expected here. Chasing teams have had the upper hand so far and teams winning the toss will bowl first. Spinners and hit the deck bowlers will get assistance off the wicket.

Match-Ups & Current Form

Hendricks vs Hasaranga: 21 runs for 2 dismissals
Asalanka vs Shamsi: 9 runs for 1 dismissal
Dussen vs Right Arm Bowlers: Average 39, SR 130
Markram vs Right Arm Bowlers: Average 55, SR 152
100+ runs in last 3 innings: de Kock, Asalanka, Hendricks, Markram
Below 50 runs in last 3 innings: Avishka, Klaasen, Nissanka

Key Players

South Africa

• Aiden Markram: Aiden Markram has been the best Protea batter in the tournament so far. He has scored 91 runs in 2 games at an average of 91 and a strike rate of 146.77. Markram is the pillar of their batting South Africa will hope that he continues his good form.
   
• Anrich Nortje: Nortje has troubled the batters with his high pace and hard lengths. He is really valuable for South Africa as he picks wickets and bowls at an excellent economy rate. Nortje has 3 wickets in 2 games at an economy of 4.37. His bowling partnership with Kagiso Rabada is South Africa’s main strength in the bowling department.
   
• Rassie van der Dussen: Rassie scored 43 runs which is a good sign for the Proteas. Temba Bavuma has failed in both the games so him scoring runs at number 3 is very crucial for South Africa. He also scored a brilliant hundred in the warm-up game against Australia. Proteas will expect him to score more and more runs as the tournament progresses.

Sri Lanka

• Wanindu Hasaranga: Wanindu is Sri Lanka’s best player. He picks wickets for fun and can score runs with the bat as well. Wanindu picked 2 wickets in the last game when all the other bowlers were going for plenty of runs. Hasaranga is a real match-winner for Sri Lanka and he just needs some support from the other players.
   
• Charith Asalanka: Charith Asalanka has been brilliant for Sri Lanka in the batting department. He scored 80 runs in the first Super 12 game and scored 35 in the last game. Asalanka has been consistent at number 3 and is looking in great touch as well.
   
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa: Bhanuka Rajapaksa has played really well in the last two games for Sri Lanka. He scored a crucial half-century against Bangladesh and scored a brisk 35 against Sri Lanka as well. He is averaging 64.50 and striking at 148.27 in the tournament so far.

Predictions

Top Captaincy Picks

• Wanindu Hasaranga
• Anrich Nortje (Bowling First)
• Kagiso Rabada (Bowling First)
• Aiden Markram
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Risky)
• Charith Asalanka (Risky)

 
Disclaimer:  These teams are based on the writer's understanding of the game and do not guarantee to win in fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.