Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 1st ODI: Five players to watch out for

1. Hashim Amla

The elegant batsman has scored heavily in the shorter format of the game in the last few years. He averages over 55 in 73 appearances, and looked in fine form at the Champions Trophy. He played a match-winning innings in the group stage against Pakistan.

This is his first tour to Sri Lanka and the slow, dry pitches, along with the hot and humid conditions, will pose a new challenge for him. He will be excited by the prospect of getting runs in such conditions, and he has the wherewithal to do so. His role in the batting order will be crucial as some of his team-mates are short of runs. He spent a decent amount of time in the middle in the practice game, and that will give him confidence going into the first leg of the battle.