ICC World Cup 2019: Match 35, Sri Lanka vs South Africa: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Who would’ve thought this will be the situation when the World Cup started? Sri Lanka are well and truly alive in the tournament and have a realistic chance of making it to the top four. On the other hand, South Africa are already knocked out after losing five out of seven matches. They are playing for pride now while the Islanders will look to add more agony by putting up another inspired performance. No wonder, Sri Lanka will come hard at the low on confidence Proteas and this is the best chance for them to keep the other teams on their toes.

If Sri Lanka manage to win this game, they will equal England in terms of points and the semi-final race will definitely fire up. Though Jeevan Mendis didn’t perform to the expectations, the team management is unlikely to tinker with the winning combination. South Africa have no other option but to stick with the same set of players. They are one of the only three teams to have used all 15 players in the squad so far in the tournament.

Match Details

The 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2019 will be played between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.

The match starts at 10:30 AM local time (09:30 AM GMT) (3:00 PM IST).

The game will be live on Star Sports. Live streaming available on Hotstar.

Weather Report

The summer seems to have settled in this part of the United Kingdom. Chester-le-Street is currently experiencing plenty of sunshine in the city and the sun will be out during the match as well. There is no rain in the forecast. The temperature will hover around 16-19 degrees Celsius according to AccuWeather.

Pitch Report

This is the first match at the Riverside Ground in this World Cup and if the recent matches are taken into consideration, it won’t be an overly high-scoring game. In 16 ODIs at the venue, 243 is the average score batting first while 9 matches have been won by the side bowling first. This being the first of the three matches of the tournament, the surface might play a little bit better. Going by the trend, the teams might opt to bat first after winning the toss.

Average first innings score: 277 (Three domestic One-Day matches at the venue this season)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 2; Lost – 1

Probable Playing XIs

Sri Lanka

Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep.

Bench – Suranga Lakmal, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana.

South Africa

Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (C), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir.

Bench – Tabraiz Shamsi, Dwaine Pretorius, JP Duminy, Beuran Hendricks.

Team News

(Will be added when there’s an update)

Power Picks

Imran Tahir vs Sri Lanka in ODIs:

Matches: 14

Wickets: 33

Average: 15.03

Strike-Rate: 22.9

4-wicket hauls: 2

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Dimuth Karunaratne.

Vice-Captain Options: Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kagiso Rabada.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Wicket-Keeper – Kusal Perera (VC)

Batsmen – Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, Faf du Plessis (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram

All-Rounders – Dhananjaya de Silva, Chris Morris

Bowlers – Lasith Malinga, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Wicket-Keeper – Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Quinton de Kock (C)

Batsmen – Avishka Fernando (VC), Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen

All-Rounders – Thisara Perera, Andile Phehlukwayo

Bowlers – Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana, Kagiso Rabada.

Expert Advice:

Quinton de Kock has a good record against Sri Lanka but he hasn’t had good outings in this World Cup. You can risk keeping him out and get more utility players in your team.

Probable Winners:

It’s tough to predict the winner of this game. Going by the recent record, South Africa have the upper hand but Sri Lanka are high on confidence after beating England.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.