South Africa keen to finish ODI series on a high

COLOMBO: South Africa will look to make a statement after losing their fourth One-day International of the 5-match series against Sri Lanka as they face the hosts at R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday (today).

After falling 3-0 behind in the series, Sri Lanka made a thumping comeback in the fourth game. A strong batting performance was supported by a brilliant effort with the ball as the hosts clinched a three-run victory in the rain-affected game in Kandy.

The win was Sri Lanka’s first in 11 ODIs against South Africa, which will give them a world of confidence going into the last match.

The pressure has been on the Sri Lankan top order to perform, and while they were among the runs in the last game on Wednesday, it was again the lower order offering the heroics. Angelo Mathews, the captain, has also identified fielding as another area for improvement.

South Africa, who are without the services of injured skipper Faf du Plessis for this game, will continue to be led by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

Victory in the final ODI will give them momentum to take into the only Twenty20 international to follow, and continue their turnaround after a difficult Test series.

With the series in the bag, the Proteas team management may use the final two games to test their bench.

The talented Aiden Markram hasn’t had a good time of it in Sri Lanka so far, and was dropped after the first two ODIs, but in the spirit of experimentation, the team could be tempted to give him another chance to play himself into form.

There is a possibility of rain on Sunday. This means the DLS method might be in play once again. The pitch will favour the batsmen and a high-scoring encounter is on the cards.