da dobrowin： Victory in the fourth ODI in Cape Town will extend South Africa’s ODI winning streak to 10 matches
da doce： The Preview by Firdose Moonda06-Feb-2017Match factsFebruary 7, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)Dinesh Chandimal will hope for some runs to redeem what has been a disastrous tour so far•Getty Images/Sportsfile
Big PictureIt has got to that point in the series where the dominant side is starting to wonder if its opposition will ever turn up. “Have Sri Lanka even sent a team?” was one of the questions asked when debating a likely XI to represent the visitors in Cape Town as they seek to avoid a whitewash.Though Sri Lanka’s victory in the T20 series took place less than two weeks ago, it has been forgotten after three under-par ODI performances, where the batting has taken a beating. They have yet to total over 200 and have only two half-centuries in the series. South Africa have put on three fifties and two hundreds and have topped 300 on the only occasion they batted first. The gulf between the sides is obvious and Sri Lanka appear some way from closing it.Still, they have remained fairly positive with coach Graham Ford heartened by the talent in his squad, although he admitted a lot of work needs to be done. Niroshan Dickwella stressed the importance of the team taking lessons from this trip as they build for the future. For South Africa, that future is as bright as they could hope for.They have few complaints despite losing two members of their original squad, Lungi Ngidi and David Miller, to injury. Despite a heavy schedule – South Africa leave for New Zealand on Saturday, the day after the fifth ODI – they have chosen not to make any additions to the outfit, even for experimentation’s sake, and are putting the players through their paces in preparation for the Champions Trophy.Form guideSouth Africa: WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LLLWW
In the spotlightAfter coming into the XI for the injured Miller, Farhaan Behardien did not get the opportunity to bat at the Wanderers and will be keen to show what he can do ahead of sterner challenges in New Zealand and England. Despite long being underrated, Behardien has become an important part of South Africa’s bench strength, so much so that he stood in as captain in the T20s. He enjoyed prolific form for his franchise, Titans, in the domestic T20 competition and finished as the third-highest run-scorer, with 352 runs at an average of 117.33 and a strike rate of 188.23, and quality performances under pressure.At the other end of the spectrum is Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s senior-most batsman, who has not scored a fifty in any format on this South African tour. Chandimal averages 16.36 from 12 innings and has been particularly careless with his wicket. He has squandered several starts and not set an example for the younger crop. He has two matches to show the worth of his seniority and put right what has become a dismal tour.South Africa could give Tabraiz Shamsi an opportunity•Getty Images
Team newsAfter Dwaine Pretorius’ Man-of-the-Match performance in Johannesburg, South Africa will need to choose their allrounders carefully. Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell could find themselves competing for one spot. South Africa may also want to use this match to have a look at what Tabraiz Shamsi can offer but are unlikely to have space for two spinners in the XI which could mean Imran Tahir is rested.South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Chris Morris/Wayne Parnell, 8 Dwaine Pretorius, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir/Tabraiz ShamsiSri Lanka don’t have too many options when it comes to trying to find a winning combination and will have to rely on familiar faces to change their fortunes. Dhananjaya de Silva, who has a top score of 28 in the limited-overs’ matches, may lose his place to Chathuranga de Silva in an attempt to shake things up.Sri Lanka: 1 Niroshan Dickwella 2 Upul Tharanga (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva/Chathuranga de Silva, 7 Sachith Pathirana, 8 Lahiru Madushanka, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Lakshan SandakanPitch and conditionsBatting first at Newlands is key to success, especially in day-night matches in which 22 of the 28 ODIs have been won by the side that sets a target. That makes the toss more crucial than the conditions, although a decent batting strip is expected. The weather is forecast to be warm and windy.Stats and trivia South Africa need to win both remaining matches in the series to overtake Australia at the top of the ODI rankings. Sri Lanka have lost their last six bilateral ODI series against Test-playing oppositions: to New Zealand (twice), Australia, England, South Africa and Pakistan. South Africa have won 12 of their last 14 ODIs at Newlands, dating back to 2004. The only two times they have lost in that time have been to subcontinental sides, India and Pakistan in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Quotes”We are a squad of players and whoever gets an opportunity, that’s an honour in itself and a great opportunity to showcase their talents. You look at Dwaine Pretorius in the last game, getting a Man-of-the-Match performance. That’s what we are about. The guys that get opportunities must be able to put in performances and they have done that.”
