South Africa VS Sri Lanka 2nd Test Venue: St. George’s Park, Gqeberha
South Africa VS Sri Lanka 2nd Test Date: Thursday, December 5 to Sunday, Monday, December 9
BetXchange South Africa VS Sri Lanka 2nd Test Odds:
History
After a dominant first Test win over Sri Lanka in Durban, South Africa is still on course to book its place in the ICC World Test Championship at Lord’s next June.
The Proteas sit second on the log, and two wins from their final three Tests in the cycle will likely see them qualify for the final. Three wins from three will guarantee a one-off showdown for the title—likely with India—and with two Tests against Pakistan coming up at the end of the year, South Africa will feel like they need to win this match.
The Test in Durban was all South Africa as they picked up the maximum 12 points in an emphatic win. The Proteas closed out a victory by 233 runs, which looked unlikely after rain limited the teams to just 20 overs on Day 1.
Sri Lanka started well, bowling out their hosts for just 191 after choosing to field first. What happened next was astonishing. Marco Jansen, who would be named Player of the Match, skittled the tourists almost singlehandedly. He posted figures of 7/13 from 6.5 overs as Sri Lanka was bowled out for its lowest-ever Test score of 42.
Any total put up by South Africa would be too much for Sri Lanka to run down in their second innings. The hosts declared on 366/5, with Tristan Stubbs top-scoring with an impressive 122 runs. Jansen then took four more wickets and finished with 11 for the match as the Proteas rolled to a comfortable win.
South Africa
The Proteas have a couple of injury concerns heading into this vital second Test. Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee have been ruled out, with fractured finger and groin injuries, respectively, making them unavailable for selection. Matthew Breetzke and Kewna Maphaka have been added to the squad as replacement options for the selectors.
Maphaka is an exciting selection. The 18-year-old is a serious pacer but has just three first-class starts. Jansen was so dominant in the first Test that the typically conservative South African selectors may give the youngster a runout on a St. George’s wicket that will be extremely friendly to fast bowlers.
Sri Lanka
There are no injuries in the Sri Lanka camp, so the tourists can pick any combination of players from their 17-man strong touring party.
It seems unlikely that there will be many changes to their starting XI. The bowling was far better than the final Test score suggests, with Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando all having decent spells. The batting let this trio down in a big way, but with experienced hands like Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, and Dinesh Chandimal at the crease, the consensus is that the tourists cannot be that bad again.
Best Bets
Given the hammering they took in Durban, I am unsure how you can take Sri Lanka at those 3/1 odds. Jump on Jansen again as the best bowler, as he is in sublime form. Chandimal was the Proteas’ biggest roadblock in the first Test when he put up a fighting 83 from 174 balls. He has the batting style to succeed on this pitch as long as he plays to what the bowlers give him.
