Having gone down to Australia rather tamely in their opening game, the Proteas recovered well to put it across a lethargic West Indies by eight wickets in their previous match. All the South African bowlers were brilliant. Anrich Nortje was man of the match for his figures of 1 for 14. Keshav Maharaj and Dwaine Pretorius were also among the wickets as South Africa stalled West Indies’ progress.
In the chase, Aiden Markram led the way with a blazing fifty while Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen chipped in with good knocks. The return of Quinton de Kock following the ‘knee’ controversy should bolster South Africa even more.
After overcoming the Bangladesh challenge, Sri Lanka couldn’t quite get their act together against the Aussies. Sri Lanka’s batting has been a concern right through the T20 World Cup 2021. Against Australia as well, they faltered. Kusal Perera and Charith Asalanka got into the 30s but could not carry on while Avishka Fernando registered yet another failure. Their spinners might have been handicapped with the ball due to the dew factor. But their fielding also let the team down with Perera dropping a simple catch of David Warner.
South Africa’s Predicted XI: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
With De Kock likely to make a comeback, South Africa might be forced to drop Heinrich Klaasen.
Sri Lanka’s Predicted XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (wk), Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (C), Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara
Sri Lanka are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI.
Top fantasy picks for South Africa vs Sri Lanka clash: Aiden Markam, Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga
--Renin Wilben Albert