Sri Lanka vs South Africa Match Preview- ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Match 4

Sri Lanka vs South Africa T20 World Cup match will be played on June 3. Both teams are part of Group D alongside Bangladesh, Netherlands, and Nepal. The Proteas have had the wood over the Lankans in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa Date and Venue

The Sri Lanka vs South Africa match will be played in New York on May 3 from 8 pm IST which is 9.30 am local time. The match also kickstarts the campaign for these two teams. It is also the first match from Group D.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa Match Preview- ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Match 4

Sri Lanka

The Lankans will be led by Wanindu Hasaranga. After their poor performance in the ODI World Cup, the board decided to change the leadership across formats.

Hasaranga was named the T20I skipper. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka played a lot of T20I cricket ahead of the IPL. They won 2-1 against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and defeated Afghanistan 3-0 in a T20I series.

The squad looks like a well-rounded squad with enough depth in bowling and batting. There is a lot of variety in the bowling attack as well. Given the conditions they will be playing in, they can be one of the dark horses of the tournament.

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Sri Lanka Squad

Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka.

Travelling Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage

South Africa

The Proteas have the wood over the Lankans in the T20 World Cup. However, they have yet to win an ICC title and their search for the maiden one continues.

Several of their first-choice players were busy playing in the IPL. Heading into the T20 World Cup, They lost a T20I series to co-hosts New Zealand.

Now with the T20 World Cup, their first-choice players are back and they will be playing a key role in the team's campaign. This side too has got good batting depth and variety in their bowling attack as well.

The form of Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs in the recently concluded IPL season looks promising. The spin twins of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi will have a key role to play besides their seasoned pacers.

South Africa Squad

Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Sri Lanka vs South Africa Key Battles

Heinrich Klaasen vs Wanindu Hasaranga

This is the biggest match-up of the contest. Klaasen was in terrific form in the IPL and he look a liking to the spinners, especially Yuzvendra Chahal. He would like to dominate Hasaranga to give his team the edge in the contest.

Quinton de Kock vs Dilshan Madushanka

Another major battle is the one between De Kock and Madushanka. The southpaw is key to giving his team quick starts. This is where the left-arm pacer should target his wicket early. De Kock was dismissed a few times inside the powerplay in this IPL season.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa Key Players

For South Africa, Klaasen, Stubbs, Markram, and De Kock are the key batters. With the ball, the spin twins and the two pacers Rabada and Norte are key.

For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka and Angelo Mathews are key with the bat. With the ball, Madushanka, Hasaranga, and Pathirana are key.

Sri Lanka vs South Africa Weather and Pitch Report

The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York will host 8 matches, and all the matches will be played in drop-in pitches. After the end of the tournament, the drop-in pitches will be replaced by artificial turf. The first T20I will give a fair idea as to how the pitch will play for the rest of the tournament.

Speaking about the weather, it's a 9.30 am local time start. There will be pleasant sunshine throughout the morning. The temperatures will be around 37 degrees with "pleasant with partial sunshine" as per Accuweather. Humidity will be around 50 percent and there is no real threat of rain.

Conclusion

This match kicks off the tournament for both teams. South Africa have had the wood over Sri Lanka in T20Is winning 12 out of the 17 matches. In T20 World Cups, they have three out of the four games.

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