South Africa will look to wrap up a series victory as they face Sri Lanka in the second Test at St. George’s Park, starting Thursday.
Proteas got a crushing 233-run victory in Durban, where Marco Jansen’s career-best 11 wickets dismantled Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, though unbeaten in Durban prior to the series wasn’t able to put up a fight, especially during the first innings, when they got skittled for 42.
Though Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva both scored half-centuries during the second innings the deficit proved too much for the visitors.
South Africa’s bowling unit led by Jansen and Kagiso Rabada exploited conditions expertly, but the team faces questions over its fitness after Wiaan Mulder was ruled out of the series.
Sri Lanka, who are themselves in contention for the WTC finals, will be desperate to win the second test. Players like Kusal Mendis, who ended a streak of four ducks with a Durban score, need to make an impact.
SA vs SL Match Preview- 2nd Test, Sri Lanka tour of South Africa 2024
SA vs SL 2nd Test Date and Venue
The SA vs SL 2nd Test 2024 will be taking place on Thursday (December 05) at St George’s Park, Gqeberha. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM IST and 10:30 AM local time.
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Squads:
South Africa:
Temba Bavuma is back and will lead the South African side.
SA Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kwena Maphaka, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, and Kyle Verreynne.
Sri Lanka:
Dhananjaya De Silva will be leading the Sri Lankan team and will be keen to lead the team from the front.
SL Squad: Dhananjaya De Silva (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Oshada Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabhat Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lasith Embuldeniya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha.
SA vs SL Key Battles
Temba Bavuma vs. Dhananjaya De Silva
The battle of captains between Temba Bavuma and Dhananjaya De Silva will be a feature of the second Test. Bavuma has returned to lead South Africa and has been outstanding on his return with a gritty 100. De Silva, on the other hand, has been the backbone of Sri Lanka’s middle order and has scored more than 3,000 runs in Tests.
South Africa’s Pacers vs. Sri Lanka’s Openers
Marco Jansen vs. Angelo Mathews
Marco Jansen will test the experience of Angelo Mathews. Jansen has been lethal in seamer-friendly conditions, having taken 38 wickets in 7 Tests at home.
Mathews, however, has a solid record against South Africa, averaging over 40 in their encounters. His ability to anchor Sri Lanka’s innings could blunt Jansen’s threat.
SA vs SL Key Players
SA: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada are the key players for South Africa.
SL: Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, and Vishwa Fernando are the key players for Sri Lanka.
SA vs SL Weather And Pitch Report
The second Test between SA vs SL at St George’s Park promises mostly favorable weather. Mostly cloudy and partly cloudy will characterize Thursday and Friday, respectively, with temperatures around 24–26°C and no significant chances of rain.
Saturday will be sunny with a high of 23°C and light winds across the days, ranging between 26–35 km/h. Humidity levels will stay in the range of 57–65%, offering some swing for the pacers.
The St George’s Park surface is known to be relatively low-bouncing, which will suit subcontinental batters. New-ball bowlers will be in their element in the first innings, while spinners may come into play later as the pitch deteriorates.
Batters should find scoring easier as the match progresses, though patience will be key on this testing surface.
Conclusion
The SA vs SL series is of utmost importance with both teams looking to make their first ICC World Test Championship finals.