ICC Men’s CWC 2023: South Africa to face 1996 World Cup champions Sri Lanka in their opener
The fourth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between South Africa and Sri Lanka on October 7 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
ODI performance of South Africa and Sri Lanka in 2023
The two teams have had a similar performance in 2023. While South Africa played 12 ODIs and won eight, Sri Lanka played almost twice the number of matches than South Africa, winning 14 out of 22. This year, the two teams did not come face to face, but the overall records in ODIs are in South Africa’s favour as they have won 45 out of the 80 matches played between them.
In the batting department, South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma (637 runs) has been the leading run-getter for his team, scoring at an average of 80 and strike rate of 104. On the other side, the right-handed top-order batter of Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka, has had a prolific year scoring 819 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of 46 and strike rate of 87. The 25-year-old is the third highest run-getter in this calendar year in men’s one day international cricket.
Among the bowlers, South Africa’s tall left arm fast bowler Marco Jansen has bagged the most wickets for his country. The 23-year-old has 16 wickets in 11 ODIs, including one fifer. For Sri Lanka, off spinner Maheesh Theekshana has been the most successful bowler with 31 wickets in 15 outings, including three four wicket hauls. The 23-year-old is the fourth highest wicket-taker in this calendar year in men’s one day international cricket.
South Africa and Sri Lanka at the World Cups
South Africa has been playing World Cups since 1992, whereas Sri Lanka has been there since the inaugural edition in 1975. While South Africa has won 38 out of their 68 World Cup matches (success rate 59%), Sri Lanka have also won 38 but out of 80 World Cup matches (success rate 48%). Head-to-head, these two teams have met six times and South Africa have defeated Sri Lanka on four occasions.
South Africa and Sri Lanka in warm-up matches before the start of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
South Africa lost to New Zealand by seven runs (DLS method) in their second warm-up match after their encounter with Afghanistan was washed out due to rain. Sri Lanka, on the other side, had a disappointing performance in the two warm-up matches as they lost to their Asian neighbours Bangladesh by seven wickets and Afghanistan by six wickets (DLS method).
South Africa v Sri Lanka: Squads, playing conditions, weather, and players to watch out for
Squads
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha.
Playing conditions
Delhi will host the encounter between South Africa and Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. It will be a day-night match. While South Africa have played two matches here and won one and lost one, Sri Lanka have played four, won one and lost three. The venue has hosted 25 ODIs since 1982, out of which teams batting first have won 12 and teams batting second have won 13. The highest total scored here is 330 and the lowest is 83. The venue has historically assisted the spinners, so expect them to make an impact in the match.
Weather
The weather is expected to be very warm with plenty of sun. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 36 degrees Celsius. The cloud cover and chance of rain will be none. The wind will blow from the west-northwest.
Players to watch out for
For South Africa, the hard hitting right-handed middle order batter Aiden Markram will play an important role. In his last nine ODIs, the experienced campaigner has scored 515 runs at an average of 74 and strike rate of 123, including the mammoth 175 against Netherlands. Among the bowlers, left arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi will be the key. In his last six ODIs, he has claimed 12 wickets. The 33-year-old will be expected to bowl economically in the middle phase of the innings and pick the occasional wicket.
For Sri Lanka, the right-handed batter Kusal Mendis will have to play the role of a stabiliser. The Sri Lankan batting will revolve around him. In his last 10 ODIs, he has scored 382 runs at an average of 48 and strike rate of 82. With the ball, the Matheesha Pathirana, the man with a slinging action like his countrymate Lasith Malinga will be the X-factor player. A popular name in India, thanks to his contributions for the Chennai Super Kings in this year’s IPL, Pathirana has 14 wickets in his last nine ODIs.
Match details
Date: October 7, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo