Sri Lanka vs. South Africa: Five players to watch out for

Rangana Herath celebrates the wicket of South African Alviro Petersen during the second ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 23, 2013. (Getty Images)

3. Rangana Herath

The left-arm orthodox spinner was the chief architect of demolition in the first ODI and he did no wrong in the next encounter finishing with figures of 16/2 in his four overs. South Africa also boast of three left-arm orthodox spinners but the distance in terms of quality is massive.

Herath was much more courageous as he flighted the ball generously tempting the batsmen into a drive. That confidence comes from the fact that he has tasted a lot of success in the recent past. He was one of the top-bowlers in the unfamiliar conditions of England at the Champions trophy and he bamboozled Indian batsmen frequently on the tour to West Indies.

His performance levels go a notch higher when he is bowling in his own territory and hence South Africa will face a major threat from his end in the rest of the series.