World Cup 2019, Match 35, South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Preview, Weather Report, Pitch Report, Match Details, Head to Head Stats & Playing XI

South Africa, who have been knocked out of the tournament, will be playing for pride against Sri Lanka on Friday, 28th June at the Riverside Ground, Chester-Le-Street in match 35 of World Cup 2019. Sri Lanka does stand a chance of making it to the playoffs but they need to win all their remaining games, starting with this one.

Match Details

Date: 28th June (Friday)

Time: 12:30 PM (South Africa), 3:00 PM (Sri Lanka), 10:30 (England), 3:00 PM (IST)

Venue: Riverside Ground, Chester-Le-Street

Pitch Report

A flat deck suitable for batting is expected to be on show for this game. The large boundaries do help level the tie but with the conditions favoring the batsmen, expect a run fest here in Durham.

Weather Report

A bright sunny day can be expected at Chester-Le-Street with not much cloud cover or winds expected during the course of the game. Though it will be quite pleasant for the fans, the lack of swing might make it tough for the bowlers.

Head-to-Head Stats

Overall: Both these sides have met on 76 occasions and it's the Proteas who have a lead 43-31 over the Lankans.

In World Cup: These sides have faced off on 5 occasions in World Cups with South Africa leading 3-1.

In England: In 3 meetings in England, South Africa hold a slender 2-1 lead over Sri Lanka.

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South Africa

South Africa have been knocked out of the tournament.

Batting

Key Batsmen: Hashim Amla, Quinton De Kock and Faf Du Plessis

Hashim Amla's continuous failures at the top have made it difficult for South Africa to get a positive start and he needs to make a big score against Sri Lanka. The duo of De Kock and Du Plessis need to convert their starts into big ones and not get out playing loose shots.

Bowling

Key Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir and Lungi Ngidi

South Africa's bowling attack was toothless against Pakistan and Kagiso Rabada will be raring to go back to and rattle the opposition. Imran Tahir has been the key and will be looking to continue his good form while Lungi Ngidi will look for early wickets.

Predicted Playing XI

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, and Imran Tahir.

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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka pulled an improbable victory over the hosts.

Batting

Key Batsmen: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis

While Angelo Mathews' timely return to form is something to celebrate, Sri Lanka's batting show against England left a lot to be desired. They clearly need to show more resistance to fiery pace attacks and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and opener Kusal Perera must show attacking intent from the start.

Bowling

Key Bowlers: Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana and Nuwan Pradeep

Lasith Malinga has delivered an astounding performance in this World Cup, single-handedly leading his side to victory against a top side like England. Isuru Udana, meanwhile, has bowled his cutters and slower ones with a lot of craft and will be the one to watch during the death overs. Nuwan Pradeep has handled the new ball well and has hit the right lengths.

Predicted Playing XI

Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dhanjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Suranga Lakmal Lasith Malinga, and Nuwan Pradeep.

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