2nd ODI: Sri Lanka vs South Africa
We’re one game in and it’s first blood to the Proteas in the five-match Sri Lanka vs South Africa ODI series: and that result has set up the remainder of the contest beautifully.
Hostilities will recommence at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Wednesday and I expect the hosts to fight back with a vengeance. Home advantage is in their favour, and if they can get their spinning fingers working they could force the South Africans onto the back foot. But they’ll have a task on their hands after Faf du Plessis’ tourists quietened the passionate home crowd by winning the first game comfortably to go one ahead.
Lose another match and the Lions will have a mountain to climb.
Talking Points
South Africa came out battling after a 2-0 Test Series defeat to win the first ODI by five wickets. In sport, and cricket in particular, momentum is crucial and that has now shifted in favour of the visitors. It’s been a big year for South Africa, starting with the Australia cheating scandal and now they have another challenge on their hands.
Maybe defeat for the hosts in the first game shouldn’t have been such a surprise. After all, Sri Lanka are eighth and South Africa third in the ICC ODI rankings and SBOBET odds will come in at around 25.00 for the Lions to win the World Cup in England next year, so they have some work to do.
In the short term, they can get back into this series if they can bat to form and if their spinners can get into the heads of the South Africa batsmen. They simply destroyed the Proteas in the test match in Galle, bowling them out for 126 and then 73, the lowest score by a South African side since its re-admittance to world cricket.
Off-spinner Dilriwan Perera took six for 32 and there’s no reason why the ODI slow bowlers can’t dominate in the dusty Dambulla conditions. Left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan has been brought in to add to the variation which should be enough to test the Proteas to the limit.
Du Plessis knows all about conditions in the cricket subcontinent saying: “Whenever a team tours here, whether it’s Australia or England or us, there’s always a question mark on how you play spin.
“I don’t think we play spin badly but if you compare yourself to the subcontinent batters then they’re obviously a step above us in that regard.”
Angelo Mathews’ side may be more accustomed to the conditions and the slow bowling, but that did little to help them in the first ODI, as their own batsmen couldn’t master the slow left-arm spin of Tabraiz Shamsi.
The big Sri Lanka vs South Africa news from the first ODI was the form of the Proteas’ bowlers, notably Shamsi and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, as they picked up four victims each in South Africa’s five wicket win at Dambulla. Shamis registered his best ever ODI return by taking four for 33 as Sri Lanka was skittled out for just 193 runs.
Kusal Perera was the only batter to offer any real resistance with a brave 81 after Rabada had ripped through the early batting order. Even Mathews went cheaply as they lost five wickets before the tenth over had begun. And then Shamsi stepped in to clean up.
The Proteas reached their target with time and wickets to spare with JP Duminy unbeaten on 53, while Du Plessis and the ever dangerous Quinton de Kock contributed 47 each.
History
Sri Lanka was hoping their momentum in winning the test series would carry through to the one day game, but that hasn’t been the case so far. Defeat in the first ODI has rather taken the wind out of their sales.
And South Africa have now won six on the bounce against the Lions in the white ball format, having whitewashed them 5-0 on the tour of South Africa in 2016/17. In total the Proteas have won 36 of the 67 ODI contests, with 29 to Sri Lanka, one tie and one no result.
Home advantage counts, though. Sri Lanka first hosted South Africa for an ODI series in 1993 and in the intervening quarter century they have had the best of it on home soil. The Lions won 4-1 here in 2013, but a 2-1 defeat in 2014 took the gloss off that triumph, just a little.
And this latest loss means that South Africa have won five of the 20 matches in Sri Lanka, with the Lions winning 14 and one no result.
What are the odds?
So it’s all to play for and quite evenly balanced. After the Second ODI there are three more to play, one in Colombo and two in Kandy. But in the meantime let’s take a look at the Sri Lanka vs South Africa betting odds for Wednesday’s clash.
The Proteas are favourites to win at 1.67 while the Lions are out at 2.35. It’s close enough to call for an exciting match and both sides know the result will set the tone for the rest of the series.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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