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Sl Vs Sa 1St Odi Preview With Cwc Super League On Their Mind Two Teams At The Bottom Of The Table Collide

SL vs SA | 1st ODI | Preview: With CWC Super League on their mind, two teams at the bottom of the table collide

Sri Lanka is going through a pandemic, but even amidst that, South Africa has committed itself to the limited-overs tour of the country which begins with the all-important three-match Cricket World Cup Super League ODI series. The series holds a special value for both the countries which are lying in the bottom half of the 13 team table.

What's at stake?

While South Africa has managed to win two of their six games and still have time to recuperate, it is Sri Lanka with only two wins out of its 12 games that are reeling behind and might see itself out of the race of the top seven teams which will qualify directly with hosts India for the ICC 2023 ODI World Cup. For the Lankan Lions to make a case for themselves before the November 2022 deadline, they would have to put in their best efforts starting this series itself.

What can be expected of Sri Lanka?

To do that, they have selected veteran Dinesh Chadnimal in the batting lineup while the bowling has been strengthened by the availability of fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep. With Kusal Perera back, skipper Dasun Shanaka in good touch as seen during the SLC T20 League and Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera feeling confident having bagged IPL contracts, the islanders would be feeling confident going into this series.

How are South Africa shaping up?

On the other hand, South Africa who tested great success in Ireland and West Indies in recent times under new skipper Temba Bavuma would be looking to convert that confidence into results here in Sri Lanka too. Quinton de Kock, the most dynamic batter for the Proteas would not be available for the series, but that does not make the team one-bit second rate as it has got all the ingredients of a team as deadly as the vipers in South African jungles.

Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Wiaan Mulder are as dangerous as fire with the new ball while Tabraiz Shamsi is the world number one T20I spinner and Keshav Maharaj needs no introduction either. In the batting lineup too, the Proteas boast of youngsters Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen while the experience of Aden Markram and Bavuma is as valuable as ever.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa: Details

Match Number- 01

Date and Time: September 02, 2021, 02:30 pm IST and Local, 09:00 am GMT

Venue: R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Broadcast and Livestream: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV

Pitch Report

Of the 124 ODIs played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the teams batting first might have won 70 matches, but in the last three games against India, the teams chasing were able to win all three games. Also, the pitch has relatively improved over the years and with dew coming in later on, it would be wise to bat second.

Weather Forecast

The match might be under the threat of a washout as heavy showers with thunderstorms are predicted from 03 pm throughout the evening.

Probable XI

Sri Lanka

Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Nuwan Pradeep

South Africa

Temba Bavuma (c), Janneman Malan, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Dream XI Team

Wicketkeepers Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal

Batters Dasun Shanaka, Janneman Malan, Rassie van der Dussen

All-rounders Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva

Bowlers Dushmantha Chameera, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Vice-Captain Rassie van der Dussen

Captain Wanindu Hasaranga

Discover more

'Absolutely fit' Jadeja keeps selection debate on but India take inspiration from recent comebacks

India were routed in the first innings of the last Test at Headingley as batsmen did not show enough discipline and lost composure in the face of immensely accurate bowling by the hosts. They made a comeback of sorts in the second innings but as the skipper, Virat Kohli said after the game, they were always playing a catch-up game and were dismantled once again in the second innings to lose the game by an innings margin. From a relatively stronger position irrespective of the deficit in the second innings, Kohli’s men lost the last eight wickets for a mere 63 runs and surrendered once again on the fourth morning. Kohli tried to downplay those collapses by calling them “aberration” for an impressive batting order but the theme has now become more prevalent in the recent past. They were also bundled out for 36 and a very low score on a flat surface in Chennai and hence the collapses at Headingley should ring some alarm bells in the dressing room. However, the team management has reiterated the stance of choosing to see what came after those harrowing performances. India bowling coach Bharat Arun, who attended the pre-match press conference exulted confidence in the team and issued a kind of “been there done that” message from the Indian camp ahead of the all-important fourth Test. "We have done it in the past, we were bowled out for 36 and bounced back. Also against England at home, we came back after a big defeat (in Chennai). We can take confidence from what we have done in past. You will see a lot more spirited performance,” Arun said in the press conference. Batting alone was not India’s failure in the Headingley Test as their bowlers failed to extract any sort of assistance from the pitch, let alone the prodigious seam movement and bounce England pacers generated. They were lacklustre in their approach and lacked intensity as well as discipline to build pressure on England top-order batsmen who were under quite a bit of pressure. They were allowed to get away with loose and wide balls they could leave easily or hit for four at the start of the innings and as soon as the new opening pair of Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns took the hosts past the 100-run mark without loss of a wicket, the writing was on the wall for the tourists. Arun was asked what went wrong for the Indian bowlers and how were they outbowled by their English counterparts. Arun refused to rate the bowling performance as bad and referred to the triumphant Lord’s Test saying that just a game before they had outbowled their counterparts and this sort of underperformance is not a concern. He did underline a concern though and it was the form of Ishant Sharma, who was guilty of bowling very wide from the batsmen and wasting the new ball. He has been India’s trump card bowler in the last few years and hence his form and fitness came as a “concern” for Arun. India on September 1 added Prasidh Krishna into the main squad and it fulled speculation that the tall bowler from Karnataka is being seen as a like for like replacement for Ishant. He is also known for his swing and the extra pacer he generates due to his height, but Arun categorically denied that he has been added to replace Ishant from the side that played at Headingley. He re-emphasized the workload management of bowlers—a point also highlighted by Kohli in the post-match press conference after the defeat in Leeds behind the move to include Prasidh in the main squad. “He has been included in the side considering all the workload management issues. There is nothing more to it than that,” Arun said. Apart from the composition of the pace department that may be constrained due to the heavy load on the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, the Indian team management will also have to keep on pondering over the issue of spinners in the side. So far, Ravindra Jadeja has been preferred over Ravichandran Ashwin but there is no doubt in the fact that the former has been picked more for his batting prowess and also because Kohli believed the composition of four pacers would more or less do the job clinically. However, the clamour of Ashwin’s absence is growing louder and louder and he could have come in the place of Jadeja, who was under injury clouds. Arun though quelled those speculations and ruled Jadeja “absolutely fit” which does not absolve the team management from the responsibility of picking one spinner among those two or both in case the pitch appears to be helping spinners. India have also been found out with Rishabh Pant batting at the number six position and a dip in form of the middle order. Expert and former players have been demanding an extra batsman to aid out of form batsmen and the team management might take the Ashwin route to bolster the batting and shorten the tail. Arun said that The Oval has the reputation of aiding spinners in the past but at the same time shared scepticism over England opting to play on a surface that assists turn considering their “one of the best bowlers” in Ashwin. He said that the last call on the composition of the bowling attack, especially the spinners will be taken on the eve of the game after having an assessment based on the final look of the surface. "Ashwin, no doubt, is one of the best bowlers we have and it's unfortunate that he has not played so far but if there is an opportunity and if we feel that he is going to fit into the scheme of things, they will definitely both be bowling in tandem. History at the Oval says that it aids spin but you also know how the Englishmen are wary of Ashwin's abilities of what he could do if there is any assistance from the track” the bowling coach added. "The best thing would be to decide after looking at the track tomorrow morning as anything could happen between now and tomorrow. So we will look at it tomorrow morning and decide." Arun presented a confident face of the Indian camp as has been the case for the Virat Kohli-led team management over the years. They have had in this situation before when the world had written them off and they came roaring back in the contest right after being pushed against the wall. Arun would hope that the bowlers, who came short in Leeds would put their hands up while the batsmen would learn from their mistakes and replicate their methods from the first and second Test.

CPL 2021 Preview: Table-toppers clash as St Kitts And Nevis Patriots take on Jamaica Tallawahs

Jamaica Tallawahs will be up against St Kitts And Nevis Patriots on Thursday in St Kitts. While the Patriots are sitting at the helm of the points table at the moment with three wins in three matches, Jamaica are at number two with a couple of wins from three games that they have played. Both the sides will be coming into this game on the back of some fine performance in their last respective encounters. Tallawahs defeated Barbados Royals by 6 wickets in their last match while Patriots beat Guyana Amazon Warriors by the same margin. The Jamaica bowling attack looked in some good form against the Royals as the side managed to restrict the opposition for a lesser total while Kennar Lewis was in some form as he helped his side to come out of a tricky situation and eventually win the match. On the other side, Patriots rode on an impressive show from their batting attack against the Warriors. Sherfane Rutherford has been in good touch and has already notched up a couple of fifties for his team in the competition. Both the sides have some brutal strikers of the ball and a high voltage drama can be expected. Match Details Match: JT vs SNP, 12th Match, Caribbean Premier League 2021 Date: Thursday, September 02, 2021 Time: 4:30 AM (Sep 02) Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts Where to watch live – Star Sports, Fancode Pitch Report The track in St Kitts might have something on offer for the bowlers in the initial part of the game. Apart from this, the dew can also play an important role in the evening game. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first. Probable XI Jamaica Tallawahs: Chadwick Walton (w), Kennar Lewis, Haider Ali, Rovman Powell (c), Shamarh Brooks, Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell, Migael Pretorius, Chris Green, Veerasammy Permaul, Fidel Edwards St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Devon Thomas, Evin Lewis, Joshua Da Silva (w), Asif Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Dwayne Bravo (c), Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Paul van Meekeren, Fawad Ahmed Fantasy XI Joshua De Silva, Chadwick Walton, Evin Lewis, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Kennar Lewis, Andre Russell (C), Dwayne Bravo (VC), Fabian Allen, Carlos Braithwaite, Fawad Ahmed,

Pakistan include four uncapped players in squad for New Zealand ODIs series

Pakistan have named a 20-man squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. The selectors have named four uncapped players in the side which include wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Haris, pacers Mohammad Wasim and Shahnawaz Dahani, and leg spinner Zahid Mahmood while Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah have been recalled. Both the players last played in the ODI against Zimbabwe back in November 2020. Pakistan's chief selector Muhammad Wasim lavished praise on Dahani who was the leading wicket-taker in this year’s PSL. "Shahnawaz Dahani was unfortunate to miss the selection for the England matches as the squad was announced before the start of the remaining 20 HBL PSL 6 matches. Hence, he was a straightforward selection when we sat to discuss and finalise the side for the New Zealand series,” he said. Haris Sohail, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Sohaib Maqsood haven’t found a place for themselves in the team for the fixtures. The team will be led by Babar Azam while Mohammad Rizwan remains the first-choice wicket-keeper for the selectors. "Mohammad Rizwan remains the first-choice wicketkeeper, as such, it has been decided to include 20-year-old Mohammad Haris in place of Sarfaraz Ahmed,” said Wasim. The Blackcaps are slated to travel to Pakistan for three ODIs and a five-match T20I series in September-October. Squad: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mahmood

1st T20I: Bangladesh continue form, thump New Zealand by 7 wickets

Bangladesh continued their brilliant form in the T20Is after beating New Zealand in the first clash of the five-match series in Dhaka by 7 wickets. Chasing the modest target of 61, the home side went over the line in 15 overs. The hosts had a disappointing start to the chase after they suffered a couple of early blows and were reduced to 7/2 in the third over. But Shakib Al Hasan along with Mushfiqur Rahim provided the much-needed resistance to Bangladesh as the left-right duo stitched a crucial partnership of 30 runs for the third wicket. Shakib was eventually undone by Rachin Ravindra for 25 after he tried to cut a back of the length delivery but ending up edging it to the wicket-keeper Latham who completed a good catch eventually. But Rahim and captain Mahmudullah then made sure that there were no further loss of wickets as the two guided Bangladesh to a win. While Mushfiqur remained unbeaten at 16 off 26, Mahmudullah returned not out for 14 off 22. Earlier, in the day, Bangladesh bowlers ripped through the New Zealand batting line up to bundle them out for 60 runs in the 17th over. The visitors lost early wickets and were left tottering at 9/4 in the first four overs before stand-in skipper Latham and Henry Nicholls tried to steady the ship for the side. The two batters put 34 runs for the fifth wicket before Latham departed for 18 and his dismissal saw a flurry of wickets at a quick succession. Mustafizur Rahman picked up three wickets for Bangladesh while Nasum Ahmed, Shakib and Saifuddin bagged a couple of wickets apiece during the course. Mahmudullah expressed his delight after the win and lauded the team’s efforts. “It's a good feeling having lost a few matches. The first game is always important, but we need to come back and do this again. I think the key was that the bowlers have been hungry and disciplined,” he said after the match. The Blackcaps captain Latham admitted that they lost wickets at quick succession which didn’t allow them to put up runs on the board. “It was disappointing, the start. We built a partnership in the middle, we knew it would be tough, but we kept losing wickets. We couldn't put it together today,” he said. The two sides will now play each other on Friday at the same venue.