South Africa will take on Sri Lanka on Saturday, October 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The two teams will look to book a spot in the top four by kick-starting their campaign on Saturday. Both Sri Lanka and South Africa failed to qualify for the semifinals in the 2019 World Cup as they finished sixth and seventh, respectively among ten teams.
The weather is expected to be warm on Saturday in Delhi, as the temperature is likely to range between 30°C and 35°C during the game. The sky will remain clear, and chances of rain impeding the game are very unlikely. The mercury will touch the 35°C mark at the time of the commencement of the game but will drop down to 30°C as the match nears its end. The humidity is expected to be between 37% and 63%, according to Weather.com.
Predicted Playing XI
South Africa
Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton De Kock, Heinrich Klassen, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jensen, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dushan Hemantha, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara, Dunith Wellalage, Dilshan Madushanka
Key Players to Watch Out
Kusal Mendis: The Sri Lankan wicket-keeper batsman scored 270 runs in six matches in the Asia Cup 2023 that included three half-centuries. Mendis has lost his wicket in the nineties twice in the two matches where he scored his fifties. He has scored 3215 runs in 112 matches with an average of 32.15 and a strike rate of 84.44. Mendis has recorded 25 half-centuries and 2 centuries in ODIs and will look to add more centuries to his stats during the World Cup.
Aiden Markram: The former South African captain has hit 1665 runs in 55 matches averaging 35.42 with a strike rate of 96.35. He has hit two tons and seven half-centuries in his ODI career. In the bilateral series against Australia, Markram amassed 225 runs in five matches. Markram’s ability to bowl overs quickly in the middle overs will be an added advantage to South Africa.
