Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean and South Africa, a peninsula in the Indian and Atlantic Ocean will battle against each other to begin their campaign in the World Cup.
Sri Lanka who have done well in the ICC tournaments in the past have struggled to perform well since 2015 in ICC tournaments. This time around they will be looking to bring back their pre-2015 consistency in ICC tournaments.
South Africa despite being a powerhouse of individual match winner haven’t come out as good as they can considering their potential. They will be looking to break this curse this time around.
Both teams have played each other 80 times in the ODI format with South Africa winning 45 and Sri Lanka 33 times with 1 tied and 1 No result game.
Team Preview
South Africa
South Africa is coming into the tournament as people’s and expert’s potential trophy winners. They have an explosive batting lineup with all their batters showing their class in the recently concluded bilateral series against Australia. All batters are trying to score runs with a higher strike rate.
South Africa as a unit has come strong in ODIs this year, defeating champions of the previous 2 World Cup editions Australia and England earlier this year.
They must be missing the services of Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala who will miss out on the World Cup owing to their respective injury, but they have still got enough firepower in the bowling lineup which can dethrone any batting on their given day.
Sri Lanka
Coming into the World Cup through the Qualifier stage was a shame for a cricketing nation like Sri Lanka, but in the Asia Cup they showed their potential and reached the finals defeating the odds. In this World Cup, they are coming as a dark house and a party spoiler for other teams.
Sri Lanka stuck with injuries throughout the Asia Cup, will be without Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga in this edition of the World Cup. Maheesh Theekshana who missed Warmups and landed in India on the 4th of October is considered to be fit for the opening fixture.
Captain Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Janith Perera both missed their second warmup game citing injury are expected to be fit in time.
They have limited options and will be hoping that every player performs his personal best so they can get results in their favour.
Probable Playing XI
South Africa: Quinton De Kock(wk), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen , Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis(wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka.
Pitch Report
The pitch of Arun Jaitley Stadium has been a batter’s paradise over the years. Though we have seen some help for bowlers in the starting. Spinners can also be useful on this surface and they will be looking to skid the ball and cause trouble to the batters.
Batters would be looking to play to the merit of the ball as the pitch won’t be having any uneven bounce or spin.
- Total Matches – 28
- Matches Won Batting First – 13
- Matches Won Batting Second – 14
- Average 1st Innings Score – 223
Players To Watch Out For
Temba Bavuma
From not being considered a white ball cricket to averaging 79.63 with a whooping strike rate of 104.08 this year. Temba Bavuma is peaking at the right moment for the Proteas. He can also anchor the innings and all players will play around him. Captain Bavuma has scored 3 hundreds this year. Bavuma’s biggest test would be how he encounters spin bowling in India and how he encounters India’s Diversity in conditions. Him missing the two warmup games can be a hit to his superb form in this format of the game.
Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis was known to be a player who never reached his potential, but now he is in majestic touch. He was the highest run scorer for Sri Lanka and 2nd most overall in the recently concluded Asia Cup, his 2 90+ scorers made ensured that Sri Lanka qualified for the Super 4 and later on the finals. Despite averaging just 33.28 this year, he has stood up for the team when needed the most.
He has shown his fireworks in the warmup against Afghanistan scoring 158 runs off just 87 balls including 19 fours and 9 sixes.
Heinrich Klaasen
Probably the current best spin basher, Heinrich Klaasen has entertained people in internationals and t20 leagues around the globe. In the recently concluded bilateral between South Africa and Australia, Klaasen scored 174 runs off 83 balls with 13 sixes. In 2023, Klaasen scored 527 runs in 10 innings with an average of 58.56 and a strike rate of 151.44. He lit up the IPL on fire with his striking ability and would be hoping to do the same for the Proteas.
Marco Jansen
A fast bowler bowling 135-145 km/h and a tremendous striker of the ball are players all teams crave for, Marco Jansen offers both the abilities to the Proteas. Jansen has taken 16 wickets in 11 matches for South Africa in ODIs this year. He also has a batting strike rate of 119.71 this year. He has been contributed well with both ball and bat and would be a crucial player for the South African team to bring glory to the country.
SA vs SL Dream11 Team for Match 4 of 2023 WC
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
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