The second Test match of the three-match Test series between South Africa and Sri Lanka is set to kick off on Monday at the Newlands Stadium as the Lankans will be looking to level the series 1-1 after they suffered a disappointing 206 run defeat at Port Elizabeth.
Also Read: World cricket schedule 2017
South Africa will be heading into the second Test match with more or less the same team after they put up a strong all-round performance in the first Test match. South Africa's batsmen put in an exceptional performance with all of them contributing equally well throughout the first Test and all their frontline bowlers – Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj – were among the wicket-takers.
Despite such a dominating performance in the first match, South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis has told his batters not to settle and challenged his players to do even better. Their coach Russell Domingo has stated that his side needs to continue this form in the second Test match.
"We want to win a Test series, but more importantly we want to play a positive, aggressive type of cricket where, when there are opportunities to win a game, we rather err on the expansive side more than the conservative side. If there's a crunch time in the game with bat or ball, I want players to err on the positive side, rather than having an attitude of looking and seeing what happens. Hopefully, this game offers us an opportunity to expand on that aspect," cricbuzz quoted the South African coach as saying.
Sri Lanka will be considering a few changes heading into the second Test match after a lot of their young batsmen and bowlers let the team down on numerous occasions. A key player Lankans player who needs to improve is Kusal Perera. Recently, Angelo Mathews said the left-handed batsman might have to rethink his strategy after a disappointing show in the first Test. Replacing him, Sri Lanka might bring in Upal Tharanga. The 31-year-old has played 23 Test matches and will add a lot of experience to the Sri Lanka team of youngsters.
In a press conference, Mathews stated that his team needs to be mentally tough and hope for a better performance in the second Test match.
"The bowlers did well to restrict them to 286, but then it was hard work for the batters in the first two days. The wicket got better but it was a poor show, especially in the second innings, we played terrible shots and that was our downfall. We have to bat well from the beginning, otherwise, we have to come back strong. We have a couple of days to rest and we'll try our best to turn things around. It's not the skill, it's the mindset, we have to be tough out there. We are up against a quality side and we have to put runs on the board for our bowlers to bowl at," the Sri Lankan captain was quoted as saying.
Squads
South Africa: Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis(c), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews(c), Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Vikum Sanjaya.
The second Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka is set to start at 10:30 am local time (08:30 am GMT, 2:00 pm IST)
Where to watch
India and Sri Lanka: TV: Ten HD/Ten 3. Live Streaming: Ten Network
South Africa: TV: SuperSport 3. Live Streaming: SuperSport
UK: TV: Sky Sports2. Live Streaming: Sky Network
USA: Willow TV
