Can South Africa make it 4-0 when they meet Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI in Pallekele this Wednesday?
With an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI segment of their tour of Sri Lanka, the Proteas can probably afford to start playing around with different combinations with the World Cup just a year away.
For Sri Lanka, it’s back to the drawing board after three comprehensive defeats. The teams will remain in Kandy for the fourth One Day International which gets underway on Wednesday morning.
Sri Lanka vs South Africa | Wednesday 8 August | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium | 11:00
To Win Match
Sri Lanka 7/4
Tie 35/1
South Africa 46/100
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankans were comprehensively outplayed by South Africa as they slipped to their third consecutive ODI defeat on Sunday afternoon. They actually achieved a decent run rate in their pursuit of South Africa’s gargantuan 363-7, but ultimately lost wickets too consistently to really stay in the contest.
The top order remains a weakness while the Sri Lankan technical team will be worried with just how easily South Africa were able to power their way beyond 350. In fact, in all three of the ODIs thus far the Sri Lankans have proven to completely and utterly inferior in all departments.
Their top and middle order was decimated in the first match before we saw arguably the worst fielding display by an international side in the second ODI. To be fair, they were better in Kandy, but the South Africans were just on another level, especially with the bat.
Running through their squad, there’s not much they can do in the way of changes that is likely to make any sort of marked difference. The XI that started in Kandy on the weekend is about as good as they can put out at the moment but still fell well short despite a fairly decent performance.
South Africa
In stark contrast to the Test segment of their tour, the Proteas look pretty much unstoppable in the One Day Internationals. Their dominance was further underlined as they scored a massive 363-7 in Kandy on a wonderful batting deck.
It seems as though the management may allow Aiden Markram to spend a bit of time outside of the limelight. His form throughout this tour has been dismal. Remember, a similar approach was taken with Quinton de Kock a few years ago and proved to be exactly what the Titans’ opener needed as his form picked up noticeably after his return to the side. Even with Faf du Plessis out for the remainder of the tour with a shoulder injury, I think Heinrich Klaasen will be drafted into the side ahead of Markram.
Markram’s loss, however, was Reeza Hendricks’s gain. The Lions man was sensational on his ODI debut, smashing his way to an 89-ball 102. There were also some much-needed runs for Hashim Amla (59) and David Miller (51) while JP Duminy’s good form continued as he raced to a 70-ball 92. Even Andile Phelukwayo’s late cameo saw him crack three fours and a six from just 11 balls.
The new ball combination of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi continues to mature into one of the best in the world. The former kept things tight, conceding just two boundaries in eight overs while Ngidi helped himself to four wickets. Phelukwayo was in the wickets again as while Wiaan Mulder’s bowling performances point to a growing maturity.
Looking ahead, I think Junior Dala has to get a go. The series is wrapped up and there really is no harm in letting either Rabada or Ngidi put their feet up. Dala has also shown he has the mettle to succeed at the highest level following his T20 performances against India at the start of the year.
Verdict: South Africa to make the highest 15 over score 13/20
This bet certainly represents a bit more value than backing the Proteas to win match itself. De Kock, Amla and Hendricks are all in the runs at the moment and appear to enjoy facing the Sri Lankan bowlers. At 13/20 represents pretty good value here, especially considering how the host’s top order has struggled.
