South Africa v Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, Johannesburg – Preview
Sri Lanka has not had the best of tours on its visit to South Africa so far. It lost the three-Test series 3-0, and went down by 19 runs in the rain-shortened first Twenty20 International on Friday. The visiting side needs to win the second T20I at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday (January 21) to level the three-match series and stay alive.
South Africa’s win in the first T20I was largely possible because of David Miller’s 18-ball 40 that took the team to 126 for 6 in the ten-overs-a-side clash.
Miller got good support from Farhaan Behardien, who on his international captaincy debut made an unbeaten 18-ball 31. Chasing 127, Sri Lanka started strongly through an opening partnership of 59 runs between Niroshan Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Dickwella, in particular, was impressive as he hit six fours and two sixes in his 19-ball knock. Imran Tahir sent Dickwella back in the first ball of the sixth over, and in the same over also dismissed de Silva as Sri Lanka became 73 for 2 in six overs.
At that point Sri Lanka needed 54 more in four overs, but Lungi Ngidi’s economical figures of 2-0-12-2 on debut meant that the batsmen had no chance. Ngidi struck twice in the eighth over of the innings, and said that he relished the pressure situation on the big stage.
“Having been under pressure situations before, I knew opening the bowling for your country is not really a joke,” said Ngidi. “It’s quite a serious matter. I tried to focus on the methods that’s worked for me and that’s just to stay in the moment.
“There’s nothing you can really do other than deliver the balls one at a time and from there see what happens,” he added. “The first over, I wanted to get my line and length right and I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would have been.”
Ngidi would want to replicate his form in the second game and give Behardien a series win in his maiden stint as captain.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has some gaps to fill. It will want some more runs from the middle order, an issue that has hampered the team right through the tour. With the series on the line, there is no better time to come good.
The Sri Lankans would be looking particularly to Angelo Mathews, the captain, and Dinesh Chandimal. Both men have been their side's mainstays in the recent past, but haven't been among the runs in their South Africa sojourn thus far, with Mathews having only one half-century and Chandimal having a highest score of 28.
Sri Lanka will also want to reverse its recent trend in T20Is. Since beating Afghanistan in its first match of the ICC World T20 2016 in India last March, the team has lost seven games. The senior duo of Mathews and Chandimal have the onus on them to put Sri Lankan batting on track and spread some cheer in the camp.
Teams (from):
South Africa: Farhaan Behardien (capt), Theunis de Bruyn, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heino Kuhn, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Jon-Jon Smuts.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Thikshila de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne, Danushka Gunathilaka, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Mendis, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Pradeep, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana.
