The ODi series between Sri Lanka and South Africa concludes in Colombo on Tuesday and it does so with a deciding match to end what has been a more competitive period of play than would have been expected at its outset.
While the series is on the line after South Africa levelled it up at the weekend the bigger picture is the 10 points towards the World Cup Super Series table which are also up for grabs and which will ensure this is a very competitive contest.
Sri Lanka
After a near perfect performance in the opening match of the series, Sri Lanka will have been disappointed with their display in the second game and I guess the series so far has been a microcosm of their recent form in ODI cricket. There is the capability of being a half decent side but the consistency is just completely lacking. They need to find their very best once again here to win the series and take the 10 points for World Cup qualifying which could be so crucial to them.
Sri Lanka can point to the rain delays in the second match as a possible reason for their poor display but that would be papering over cracks. They weren’t as good at the end of their bowling innings as they were in the first game and their batting never really got going at any stage. The beauty of winning an opening game of a series is you give yourselves wiggle room if you need it so all is not lost but clearly we need to see the first game Sri Lanka rather than the second one.
South Africa
Over the last year or so the South Africans haven’t been a lot more consistent. They have balance issues within their side and have done really since players like AB de Villiers and JP Duminy retired and there doesn’t appear to be the depth in their domestic competition to fill that void. While they have a couple of star batsmen and some elite bowlers, you get the impression that they need to be at their best in order for South Africa to get over the line.
One issue South Africa seem to regularly have across both limited overs formats is the depth to their batting. The number seven always seems to be a bowling all-rounder rather than a batting one and that puts untold pressure on their top order. It also doesn’t help their bowlers because they need to restrict sides to lesser totals than others. It isn’t going to be long before South Africa go into a full on transition period if that doesn’t change soon.
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Team News
The output of Bhanuka Rajapaksa hasn’t really been what Sri Lanka have been looking for in this series so for a big game it would be no surprise to see Dinesh Chandimal given the nod. Akila Dananjaya could sit the decider out too.
South Africa might be forced into a change after Kagiso Rabada appeared to sprain an ankle in the second match. There is talk that he might be fit but if he isn’t then you would imagine Anrich Nortje would come back into the side.
Betting
I’m not expecting a high scoring classic here I have to say so I’m going to take under 502.5 runs. In an ideal world the line would have been 10-20 higher but I think there is still enough mileage to go under. I say that because we’ve seen a lot of cricket since Covid-19 came into the world and an awful lot of it, like this series, has been with multiple matches on the same ground. In the majority, if not all of those series, we have seen the pitches get worse for batting not better, which would comply with obvious logic.
That is the potential conditions dealt with but then we have a South Africa side who look a batsman light if not two but the trade-off for that is that they are loaded with bowling options. Sri Lanka reverted to type in the last game and really struggled with the bat and you wonder if they are chasing again whether the pressure of chasing a score to win the series would be too much for them. You’d never rely on South Africa in a run chase that matters so while that 502.5 runs line might not be as high as I’d like, it might still be too high.
Tips
Back Under 502.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
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