The Oval
Well, it’s too early in the tournament for South Africa to stutter. Let’s get that out of the way, for starters.
This, instead, is the portion of a global tournament in which they ordinarily stomp around crushing weaker teams without mercy. It is almost indisputable that Sri Lanka are the weaker side, too. One glance at the ODI player rankings will bear that out. Where South Africa have four batsmen in the top ten, Sri Lanka’s highest ranked batsman is way down at No. 26, and that is Angelo Mathews, who is unlikely to be available for this clash. On the bowling front, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir take up the top two spots, while Sri Lanka’s best, Suranga Lakmal, comes in at No. 24. Add the recent history between these teams – the 5-0 walloping South Africa had dealt out earlier in the year – and Sri Lanka’s prospects begin to appear exceedingly grim.
It is hope that holds Sri Lanka together, at present. Hope that Lasith Malinga’s return to the ODI attack will inspire the other quicks to avoid being repeatedly launched out of The Oval. Hope that Lakshan Sandakan’s wristspin can prove effective enough in the middle overs to muzzle powerful opposition batsmen. Hope that the youthful exuberance of men like Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella can compensate for the lack of form and results. Hope that Thisara Perera will play like the all-round superstar he once promised to be, rather than the sporadic performer of the last three years.
South Africa are fresh from a series loss, so they perhaps are not as buoyant as they could be. But in demolishing England at Lord’s in the final match of that series – a dead rubber – they have Rabada and Wayne Parnell going into the tournament with some confidence. South Africa will back themselves to bowl the opposition out. Most of their likely top five have made recent runs as well.
The Oval surface is not expected to be quite as batting-friendly as it was for the tournament opener between England and Bangladesh, but it’s unlikely to suddenly become a bowlers’ fantasy either. The weather is forecast to be cloudy but dry in London – the temperature hovering around the 20-degree mark.
