South Africa vs Sri Lanka, Match 4, ICC World Cup
7 October 2023, 2:00pm IST, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
The highly anticipated ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is here and we bring you our South Africa vs Sri Lanka match prediction.
Match 4 of the tournament will witness South Africa (SA) and Sri Lanka (SL) taking on each other at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on 7th October. This day-night fixture of the first double-header of the tournament is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM IST.
South Africa are a side that has never won a World Cup and have faltered in important stages in the past. They come into this tournament with a new hope, under the leadership of Temba Bavuma. They have a strong batting line-up and will be hoping to go all the way.
Read also: South Africa vs Sri Lanka head to head
Sri Lanka, the one-time former World Cup winners, will be hoping to add another title to their cabinet in conditions that should suit them. Sri Lanka recently made it to the final in the Asia Cup but lost badly to India. They have decent batting and bowling resources but they will need everything to click in their opening fixture.
The two teams in this match have pretty much contrasting strengths and that would make for a fascinating viewing on October 7th.
Team Form, Last 5 Matches for South Africa: W-W-W-L-L
Team Form, Last 5 Matches for Sri Lanka: L-W-L-W-W
South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma to miss World Cup warm-ups
Contents
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Match Preview
South Africa
South Africa suffered a huge blow ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with Anrich Nortje getting ruled out with an injury. But they still have a pretty good side and could be the dark horses in the tournament.
The batting line-up is South Africa's strength with several in-form players. Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock form a solid opening pair while Rassie van der Dussen is a prolific run-scorer. The middle order boasts of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, three players who can change the game in quick time.
The Man With The Sauce
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 4, 2023
Let us celebrate @AidzMarkram on his special day🥳
Have a lekker one Saucy 💪#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/Hzq7m5bnoB
The bowling attack is weakened without Nortje but they still have Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi. Spinners will be crucial in this game with Markram likely to bowl a few overs too.
Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Heinrich Klaasen
Probable Best Bowler: Tabraiz Shamsi
Probable Playing XI
Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
Sri Lanka
The Lankan lions will fancy their chances in the tournament, with their spinners likely to play a big role. Sri Lanka also had a setback with leg-spin all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga ruled out of the tournament. They still have an excellent spin department, comprising Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Sri Lanka have Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka as pace options. They have a settled batting unit with the likes of Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka.
Counting down the hours!⏰ #CWC23 kicks off in just 24 hours! pic.twitter.com/USOrAzkzAI
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) October 4, 2023
Sri Lanka have several all-rounders in de Silva, Asalanka, Wellalage and Shanaka, which provides them good balance.
Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Kusal Mendis
Probable Best Bowler: Dunith Wellalage
Probable Playing XI
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Matheesha Pathirana
Pitch Report and Expected Weather Conditions for South Africa vs Sri Lanka
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Pitch Report: The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium will be tough for batting and will get tougher as the innings progresses. The pitch will be slow and offer great assistance for spinners as it has done historically. Batters could look to go hard early as the new ball comes better on the bat and run-scoring becomes harder here with the old ball.
The weather forecast for this Saturday in New Delhi is fantastic. There will be a high of 36 degrees, dropping to a low of 25 degrees. Given that this is a day-night match, chances are the temperature will tail off and enter the high 20s in the second half of the match. Humidity is forecast to be 45%, while wind is low at just 10 km/h or less across the match. There is a zero percent chance of rain according to most major weather forecasts, meaning we'll see a complete match here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Arun Jaitley Stadium ODI Records
Matches: 28
Matches Won Batting First: 13
Matches Won Batting Second: 14
Average First Innings Score: 223
Average Second Innings Score: 203
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Dream11 Match Prediction
Wicket-keepers: Quinton de Kock, Kusal Mendis, Heinrich Klaasen
Batters: Temba Bavuma, Charith Asalanka
All-rounders: Aiden Markram, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dunith Wellalage
Bowlers: Tabraiz Shamsi, Maheesh Theekshana, Lungi Ngidi
Recommended Captain: Heinrich Klaasen
Recommended Vice-captain: Dunith Wellalage
As the pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium is likely to be slow and assist spinners, we have focused more on all-rounders and spinners in our Dream11 team for this match. The above team gives us four batting options from each team as well as three bowling options per side.
The likes of Tabraiz Shamsi, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva should be big threats on a turning pitch. We have picked Lungi Ngidi as the sole pace option as he can extract more bounce and could pick a few wickets.
We have picked three wicket-keepers as all three of Quinton de Kock, Kusal Mendis and Heinrich Klaasen are in good form. Mendis is coming off a sensational 158 off 87 against Afghanistan in a warm-up game.
Klaasen has been in ridiculous form with the bat and is one of the best strikers of spin bowling. In a fifty-over game, he will have enough time to make an impact despite batting at number five.
Sri Lanka's Wellalage has been in very good touch with both bat and ball, and could play a key role at this venue. You can back these two as the captain or vice-captain for this fixture.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka win prediction: South Africa to win
Sri Lanka will be in with a good chance due to their spin attack and the conditions in Delhi. The Proteas batting unit could be vulnerable at this venue but they still have enough firepower to out-bat the opponents. Given the form of both teams, expect South Africa to win this match.
