ICC World Cup 2019: Match 35, Sri Lanka vs South Africa, Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

South Africa’s campaign in the 2019 World Cup is all, but over. The 49-run defeat at the hands of Pakistan dashed their hopes of qualifying for the semis. Barring against Afghanistan in a rain-curtailed game, the Proteas have been off-colour, to say the least. All Faf du Plessis’ men are left with is salvaging a bit of pride in their last two league games. They are next scheduled to lock horns with Sri Lanka on May 28 at Chester-le-Street.

The Lankans, on the other hand, would be high on confidence after conquering England at the Headingley in Leeds. Dimuth Karunaratne and Co are in with a realistic chance of moving into the top four. Lanka is currently placed seventh in the points table and also needs to be wary of their Net Run Rate, which is currently -1.119. Recently, the Proteas beat Lanka 5-0 in a bilateral series and also came out trumps in the warm-up game.

Weather Report

There is no forecast of rain for tomorrow’s match. Clouds will be hovering above in the morning, but by noon, the sun will come out. The atmosphere will be pleasant with the temperature in between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be a tad high at the start and will come down. All in all, an uninterrupted game under bright sunlight can be expected at the Chester-le-Street.

Pitch Report

Overall, the pitch has been an excellent one for batting. In 14 completed ODIs at the venue, only five went in favour of the team, batting first. But in the last five One-Dayers, the average score was a bit on the lower side with the numbers around 279. Three of those games were won by the team, batting second. But both Lanka and the Proteas have floundered while chasing and hence, they would want to bat first.

Playing Combinations

Sri Lanka 

The Islanders may not tinker with their winning combination. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera have done well at the top of the order, having scored 180 and 161 runs each. But even they have had their occasional failures. The duo needs to be on top of their game. Avishka Fernando looked in great touch in the last match after the injury layoff. With scores of 30 and 46, Kusal Mendis has looked to get back his rhythm.

The biggest positive in recent times has been Angelo Mathews’ return to form. Mathews got a well-crafted 85 in the last game. Dhananjaya de Silva is slowly starting to show all-round performances. Thisara Perera has been a bit of a disappointment, but he remains an important member of the team. The Lankans will again look up to Lasith Malinga to deliver the goods. Isuru Udana and Nuwan Pradeep need to play their roles as well.

Probable XI

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

South Africa 

The Proteas would want to give chances to their benched players. Aiden Markram hasn’t tasted much success, having scored runs at an average of 21.20 and JP Duminy may get a chance in his place. Kagiso Rabada hasn’t looked near to his very best by any means and with all the talk surrounding his decision to play IPL against the advice, he will have a point or two to prove.

Hashim Amla has a strike-rate of under 60 and that shows the travails he has had in the tournament. Quinton de Kock started decently but is a bit short of runs off late. Faf du Plessis has had to fight hard for his runs as well. It’s pretty evident that Rassie van der Dussen has been their most accomplished batter with 216 runs at an average of 54. In the bowling department, Imran Tahir has been the standout, having picked up 10 wickets.

Probable XI

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

Probable Top Performer

Kusal Perera – Sri Lanka  | Faf du Plessis – South Africa

Broadcast Details

TV – Star Sports

Online– Hotstar

Match Timings – 15:00 IST; 10:30 local

The Prediction is for South Africa to win the match.