2017 ICC Champions Trophy – Captain’s Corner – Five Tactics Sri Lanka Must Use To Beat South Africa

Nov 2, 2023 at 3:49 PM

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2017 ICC Champions Trophy – Captain’s Corner – Five Tactics Sri Lanka Must Use To Beat South Africa

Sri Lanka and South Africa will lock horns at the Oval and the fixture is extremely crucial from Group B’s perspective.

While pundits are backing South Africa to go the distance from that group, Sri Lanka is more than a capable side that can spring up a surprise or two. South Africa, come on the back of a series defeat to hosts England barely a week ago but roared back in form at Lord’s, as their express pacer Kagiso Rabada bowled a magical spell.

Sri Lanka on the other hand, haven’t played a lot of ODI cricket off late. Their previous ODI assignment came at home against Bangladesh which ended in a 1-1 stalemate. The warm up games, however, saw Sri Lanka amassing two scores in excess of 300, only to be chased down by Australia and New Zealand, respectively.

Up against South Africa and without their skipper Angelo Mathews, the side will have to bring their A-game to the table without second thoughts. Below, we go through the five tactics which Sri Lanka can utilise to beat South Africa.

Quinton de Kock of South Africa.
  1. Dismiss openers as early as possible:

Quinton De Kock and Hashim Amla aren’t just two openers, but two record making machines. The dynamic pair has piled up records with ease and grace and never have they looked in a position of discomfort. While both can play extremely attacking cricket, it is the style of the two which varies immensely. Dismissing the two as early as possible will be Sri Lanka’s top most priority as once they are set, it isn’t long before carnage is unleashed upon the opposition. The likes of Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga will have to make the new ball count at any given cost.

  1. Skipper Upul Tharanga leads from the front:

When he first emerged on to the scene as Sanath Jayasuriya’s opening partner, Upul Tharanga enjoyed a memorable tour of England in 2006 as he amassed quite a few runs. Tharanga has all the ingredients needed to succeed in England as his technique is pretty steady and he plays with a calm mindset. Now with him leading the side for Sri Lanka’s first game, it becomes integral of the southpaw to ensure that he leads by example. Against a quality bowling attack, Tharanga will have to make his experience count.

Ab de Villiers and Kagiso Rabada
  1. Not falter against Kagiso Rabada:

The time has indeed come to terms with the sheer terror which Kagiso Rabada brings to the table. There is a valid reason behind Rabada being the number one ranked bowler in the ICC ODI rankings. Since 2015 World Cup, Rabada has the most number of wickets in this particular format and playing under cloudy skies in England will further challenge the batsmen. The Sri Lankan top order will have to battle it out against Rabada and remain patient. He made a mockery out of England’s top order barely a week ago, and the same could happen with Sri Lanka.

JP Duminy
JP Duminy
  1. Attack South Africa’s fifth bowler:

South Africa’s coach Russell Domingo dropped enough hints to infer that Morne Morkel could miss out from the playing XI for the first game. This means that the quota of ten overs from the fifth bowler will be from the seam ups of Andile Phehlukwayo and the part-time off spin of JP Duminy. This remains the best opportunity for Sri Lankan batsmen to attack the Proteas and make the most out of the ten easy overs on offer. A good batting display in these overs could probably be the difference.

  1. Lasith Malinga must deliver for one last time:

In all probability, this will be Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga’s final ICC tournament. Malinga has been a pioneer of pace bowling at the death and has bamboozled batsmen over the years with his variations. If Sri Lanka is to have any hopes of progressing forward in the tournament, Malinga will have to rejuvenate his skills and bowl like he used to in his prime. In the previous edition in 2013, Malinga was a class apart in all games for Sri Lanka. Against a batting lineup which includes AB de Villiers, Malinga probably is Sri Lanka’s only hope with the ball.

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