South Africa, Sri Lanka look to emerge from the shadows

As anyone who has braved a day's play at Delhi's perpetually sun-struck Arun Jaitley Stadium could attest, shade isn't part of the package. But that might not be the case on Saturday, and it wouldn't have anything to do with the weather. Instead thank the teams.

The shadows around South Africa and Sri Lanka are long and deep, and for reasons that are at once similar and not. Few will need reminding that the South Africans have an unhappy record at tournaments, and even fewer that the Lankans are in dismal form. Both are on the wrong side of history; one something like ancient, the other modern.

Temba Bavuma might have been speaking for Dasun Shanaka on Friday when he said: "It's probably impossible to block out the noise. That expectation, that pressure, will always be there. I took comfort at the captains' dinner [in Ahmedabad on Wednesday] when I heard the other captains speak about pressure, and hearing and understanding that the emotions and the effects are the same for all of us."

But other captains and their players won't have had to come to terms with losing five of six World Cup knockout games, which has been South Africa's fate since they made their debut in 1992. Nor with being dismissed for 50 in their most recent ODI, as the Lankans were by India in the Asia Cup final in Colombo last month.

Yet there are reasons to be cheerful, or so it would seem. The South Africans had slumped to two losses in a home ODI series against Australia last month - which followed a 3-0 hiding in the T20Is - when they reeled off three stirring wins to clinch the rubber. Before their blowout against India, Sri Lanka had won 14 of 15 ODIs.

Not so fast. Terms and conditions apply: Australia sent a starkly experimental squad to South Africa, and Sri Lanka's string of success involved beating the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Ireland, Zimbabwe and West Indies, none of which are at the World Cup. South Africa only just avoided having to navigate the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe in June and July. Sri Lanka had to go that route, a disconcerting truth for a team who were champions in 1996.

That was 27 years ago. The number will resonate with South Africans. It's how long Nelson Mandela spent in jail in his several more decades long fight against apartheid. Much that has damaged cricket and everything else has happened in both countries' real worlds in that time.

So the pressure Bavuma spoke of manifests in ways that go beyond the game. Win and the rampant corruption, tanking economy and rolling power blackouts will sit a little less uncomfortably in the soul. Lose and what's left of the nation's happiness will dwindle still further. As Chris Silverwood said on Friday: "All the players feel pride for their country, and when you're walking around in Colombo everyone wants to talk cricket. There is so much love for the game."

It isn't rational or fair. But it is what it is, and it will be on full view when South Africa take on Sri Lanka in the opening match of their men's World Cup campaign in Delhi on Saturday.

When: October 7, 2023 at 14:00 IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

What to expect: A black soil pitch, according to Eric Simons. Which should mean runs, even though a decent mat of grass glinted greenly from the surface on Friday. Stand by for a hot, hazy, dry day.

Teams:

South Africa

The batting is settled, what with Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen - who was described by Bavuma on Friday as "walking on water at the moment" - and David Miller to call on. The bowling less so. Two spinners? Temba Bavuma said on Friday that decision hadn't yet been taken, but Keshav Maharaj's place seems assured. There are, team management said, no niggles to report.

Tactics & strategy

South Africa have made a habit of trying to bounce out the Sri Lankans, and they have succeeded more often than not. Despite the conditions that seems to be the way they will go again.

Probable XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi

Sri Lanka

Maheesh Theekshana made his ODI debut in his only match in the format against South Africa, in Colombo in September 2021, and took 4/37. But he is unavailable because of a hamstring issue. So that means another opportunity for Dunith Wellalage, who has never played against South Africa, which seems a bigger advantage for him than the batters.

Tactics & strategy

Spin it to win it, although Theekshana's status won't help. In what looms as a battle of the bowlers, and with South Africa having probably the better batting line-up, the Lankans would do well to use their slow poison wisely. Kusal Perera is doubtful because of a shoulder injury.

Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Lahiru Kumara, Matheesha Pathirana

Did you know?

- South Africa have lost just one of their six ODI World Cup matches against Sri Lanka, but none of those games were played in Asia.

- Of the players at the World Cup, only Shubman Gill has scored more runs in ODIs this year than Pathum Nissanka.

- South Africa have totalled 300 or more a dozen times in their 80 ODIs against the Lankans, including four times in Sri Lanka.

What they said

"I've used it a couple of times but you don't really hear it within the team. There are guys who believe it applies to this team, there are guys who don't believe it applies to this team. I bring it up to make sure we're not skirting around the issue; that it's there and something we have to deal with." - Temba Bavuma on South Africa's relationship with the c-word, as in choke.

"Although we had a tough time in the Asia Cup final we played some very good cricket to get there. We got there despite people not thinking we could." - Chris Silverwood on imperfect memory.