After losing to South Africa in the Test series, Sri Lanka clinched the T20 series, which might have hurt the Proteas. South Africa looked solid against Sri Lanka in the first ODI, and the hosts will be keen to carry that impressive form when the two teams meet in the second ODI in Durban on Wednesday.
AB de Villiers says South Africa players may have to leave IPL 2017 midway
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be desperate to come back strong in the second ODI. They can take inspiration from the T20 series, where they lost the first match, but came back to win the series. South Africa will also be aware of the threat, which Sri Lanka can bring to the table in the second ODI.
This second T20 is of utmost importance to both Sri Lanka and South Africa in the context of the five-match ODI series. If South Africa win this match, they will inch closer to a series win, while victory for visitors will give Sri Lanka the chance for another comeback.
Sri Lanka looked below par in the first ODI, scoring 181 runs only. Their batsmen will have to play better in the second ODI, especially openers such as Niroshan Dickwella and Sandun Weerakkody to allow their experienced middle order comprising Dinesh Chandimal and Upul Tharanga to consolidate on the start.
Sri Lanka needs to find way to handle South Africa leggie Imran Tahir, who took three wickets in the last match. The way the Sri Lanka batsmen play against the South Africa bowlers could prove to the difference between two sides. Skipper AB de Villiers was all praise for Tahir after his brilliant bowling in the first match.
"Immi is probably in the best kind of form that I've ever seen. He doesn't bowl bad balls anymore. He always used to take wickets but now you don't see bad balls, which makes him really difficult to play," ESPN Cricinfo quoted de Villiers as saying.
South Africa will hope for a repeat performance from their players, who looked in top form in all departments of the game. They have a strong batting-line up, which includes Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, David Miller and AB de Villiers among others.
If the Sri Lankan bowlers err in line and length, South Africa batsmen will have a field day in Durban, where the pitch is expected to be good batting surface compared to the first ODI.
However, there will be good bounce for fast bowlers, and they will be rewarded if they bowl a good line and length. It remains to be seen if Sri Lanka will play with an extra pacer in the second ODI. South Africa with pacers such as Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell and Chris Morris can be a huge threat on the bouncy pitch.
Where to watch
South Africa vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20 is set to start at 1:30 pm local time (5 pm IST, 11:30 am GMT). Live streaming and TV options can be found below.
India and Sri Lanka: TV: Ten HD/Ten 3. Live Streaming: Ten Network
South Africa: TV: SuperSport 2. Live Streaming: SuperSport
UK: TV: Sky Sports4. Live Streaming: Sky Network
