T20 World Cup | SA vs SL: Fuelled by de Kock’s re-entry, Proteas look to outclass Lankan lions
After being in the limelight for reasons other than cricket, even after a quality win against defending champions, South Africa would now look to put the matter past them and go for yet another win to keep their hopes of making it to the semi-finals alive. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, who were looking really good with their spin options in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, realised that it ain’t easy as it seems after coming to Dubai. The Australians showed that Maheesh Theekshana could very well be tacked and so could be Wanindu Hasaranaga and the pace pairing of Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera. The batting of Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and now even Kusal Perera is something to be proud of for Sri Lanka, but as a unit, their batting hasn’t been able to get going which might cause problems against a strong bowling unit of the Proteas. Sharjah: A big factor The fact that the game is in Sharjah, where Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh and Netherlands in their last two games, make it a bit favourable for the Lankan Lions. On the other hand, South Africa haven’t had any experience whatsoever of the sluggish wicket of Sharjah and hence it will be interesting to see how the South African batters, who like the ball coming on to the bat fair against Sri Lankan bowlers. Markram, de Kock key for South Africa Whether they are batting first or batting second, the fact that Aiden Markram has been in great form would mean that he would be key to South Africa’s batting in the game against Sri Lanka, especially facing the spin of Hasaranga and Theekshana. Quinton de Kock, who would be making it to the XI as it seems after having apologised and conveyed to the fans and the team that he is all for taking a knee against racism, would be key to South Africa’s entire campaign now. Being a top-order batter with skipper Temba Bavuma not firing as much as is expected, the responsibility lies on talented de Kock to give his team a start that could keep the others like Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller at the back free to attack in the death overs. Sri Lanka need to stick together It was a tough game no doubt against Australia. But who made it tough? Kusal Perera dropping catches behind the stumps, misfields on the boundary, hitting wrong lengths at the start of the game by the SL pacers. These were the things that built pressure and these are the things that can be corrected. They are not skills that won’t come overnight, these are basics that can be and should be corrected. As far as skills are concerned, Dhananajaya de Silva needs to be given a chance in place of Avishka Fernando to bat at number four. Along with that, skipper Dasun Shanaka needs to take his batting seriously and also need to bowl in the middle which he is supposed to do to make the variety of the bowling great. Sharjah is small in size and his big hits could now come in handy. These are the things that Sri Lanka could correct and the biggest thing among them is they need to stick together as a team and put in their heart and soul into the efforts so that even a loss doesn’t feel devastating. South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Match Details Match Number - 25 Date and Time: October 29, 2021, 03:30 pm IST, 02:00 pm Local, 10:00 am GMT Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Broadcast and Livestream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitch at Sharjah has once again come back to its usual best and chasing anything above 150 is getting difficult as was seen in the last game where Bangladesh failed to chase 143. The pitch would be slow and sluggish and the shine on the wicket wouldn’t mean that it would be a bouncing wicket. It’s just a facade to varnish the wear and tear within. Weather Forecast The temperature at the stadium will fall from 35-degree Celsius at 02:00 pm to 31-degree Celsius by 06:00 pm and similarly, the humidity will increase from 29% to 45% meaning that the wicket would be dry and help spinners. Team News South Africa The South African side would be bringing back de Kock and hence Reeza Hendricks would have to go out. Apart from that, there would be no more change in the playing XI. Probable XI Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Sri Lanka As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, Dhananjaya de Silva might be playing his first game because Fernando has now failed in five matches straight and hence the guy that should be getting the chance instead of him is de Silva, who over the years has shown that he is capable of playing at number four and would also give crucial 1-2 overs in the middle with his more than useful off-spin. Probable XI Kusal Perera (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara CE XI Fantasy team Wicketkeepers Kusal Perera, Quinton de Kock Batters Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram All-rounders Wanindu Hasaranga, Dwaine Pretorius Bowlers Maheesh Theekshana, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Vice-Captain Charith Asalanka Captain Aiden Markram
 "Mayank Kumar")
