Series win in sight for Sri Lanka in second ODI against South Africa

Overview:

Sri Lanka vs South Africa, second ODI
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
4 September, 4 PM local

A win in the second ODI not only gives Sri Lanka the series win but would help them leapfrog Ireland, West Indies and Pakistan to the fifth spot on the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League table. The hosts have started to gather some momentum in white-ball cricket and will be hoping to carry it forward into the T20I series and then into the Round 1 of the T20 World Cup.

Captain Dasun Shanaka will be delighted with his side's all-round showing in the first ODI, especially their performance with the bat and ball in the death overs.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be ruing the missed opportunities from the first ODI, with the dropped catches and their batting at death effectively costing them the game.

Currently placed 11th in the CWCSL table with 24 points, the Proteas will hope they can make a comeback in the next game and force the series into a decider. They will be without Temba Bavuma, who has been ruled out for the rest of the tour with a fractured right thumb. In his absence, Keshav Maharaj will be standing in as captain for the rest of the ODI series.

Remember the last time

Avishka Fernando's century and some good death bowling by Sri Lanka bowlers helped the host clinch a 14-run win in the first ODI.

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka put up a total of 300/9 on the back of Fernando's 115-ball 118, who was well supported by Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka. While the spinners kept the run-rate on a leash while also picking up wickets, the pace-bowling trio of Rabada, Nortje and Phehlukwayo proved to be expensive for the Proteas.

South Africa were cruising at one point with Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma at the crease. However, the Proteas were dealt a huge blow when their skipper had to walk back to the pavilion retired hurt and two overs later, Praveen Jayawickrama scalped Markram on 96.

South Africa needed 48 runs in the last five overs with the well-set duo of Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klaasen at the crease. Sri Lanka, however, managed to hold their nerve and won by 14 runs to go 1-0 up in the series.

What they said:

Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka captain):"We kept the momentum going really well. It was turning a bit in the first innings, but it didn't when we bowled. The spinners bowled in good areas, and they will come back strongly in the next game. It's always hard to chase on this wicket, and 300 is a really good total, so there was no nervous feeling for us."

Keshav Maharaj (South Africa bowler): "We had very good preparation. I thought the batters did really well. The turning point was Temba's injury, because he and Aiden were going really well until then, but credit to Sri Lanka's bowlers for holding their nerve."