ICC World Cup 2015: South Africa vs Sri Lanka - 5 things to look forward to

South Africa, the Rainbow nation, would be up against Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, in the first quarter-final clash of this World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) tommorrow.The two teams have faced each other in a World Cup game 4 times before with South Africa winning two and Sri Lanka winning one; one of those games was tied in a dramatic fashion after a DL mess-up, which led to the elimination of hosts South Africa in the first round of the 2003 World Cup.Here are the five things to look forward to from tomorrow’s clash:

#1 AB de Villiers vs. Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara and AB de Villiers have been two of the best batsmen of our era. Sangakkara is currently the number 1 Test batsman and second only to the South African in ODIs. On the other hand, De Villiers is only behind to Sangakkara in Tests and is currently the best ODI batsman.

The southpaw from Sri Lanka is averaging 124 with the bat in this World Cup having scored 496 runs in 6 innings. The South African sensation is third on the list with 413 runs at an average of 83.40. It is the battle between these two that has made the world drool over tommorrow’s clash.

#2 Rangana Herath\'s fitness

Sri Lanka were banking on Rangana Herath’s left-arm spin to alleviate their middle over worries, but he ended up splitting his webbing during their group game against England, which led to him sitting out the last two matches. Though some reports suggest that Herath had a bowl in the nets after having his stitches removed, the twitter-sphere is replete with the news that he might not be able to recover on time.

If he does not make it into the team, then Tharindu Kaushal is expected to replace Herath in the squad. However, Seekuge Prasanna is likely to get the nod ahead of the rookie spinner in tomorrow’s game owing to his experience.

The whole of Sri Lanka is sweating over Herath’s fitness, and if he can make it, it will be a very big boost for Sri Lanka.

#3 Will the South Africans choke again?

South Africa are notorious for their ability to choke in big games and in pressure situations and that has accentuated their current World Cup campaign too. Although the South Africans have vowed that they will not let the pressure get to them this time around, they have already botched up two run chases – thanks to their superlative choking ability.

Thus far in the tournament, South Africa have played 6 games, winning 4 of them and losing the other two. All four of their victories have come when batting first and when chasing they have surrendered way too easily.

Sri Lanka’s retired ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, on his Facebook page, has urged the team to not get too “hung-up” about AB de Villiers and has requested the team to bat first, provided that they win the toss. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, however, has requested the team to “keep an eye on De Villiers”.

#4 5/5 for Kumar Sangakkara

There are sportsmen who give you the feel that they are born to break records, and Kumar Sangakkara is one of them. In his penultimate game in the group stage, Sangakkara became the first player to score 3 World Cup centuries on the trot and he did one better in the very next match by becoming the first ever player to score 4 successive centuries.

The left hander would dearly love to make it 5 out of 5, and should he make it, it is difficult to see the Lankans end on the losing side. The Proteas, by the way, have targetted Sangakkara with their head coach Russell Domingo saying a low score might be just around the corner.

#5 South Africa\'s fifth bowler conundrum

The South African bowling line-up, despite being the best in the world, lacks a fifth bowler to complete their quota of 50 overs. Throughout the tournament, barring the first game against India where Wayne Parnell played at number 7, South Africa have been relying on AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Rilee Rossouw and Faf du Plessis to fulfil the 5^th bowler’s share.

This is a weakling in an otherwise a very strong attack and the Sri Lankan batsmen would be targetting these freebies from the part-timers, which might turn out to be a headache for South Africa. Surprisingly, De Villiers has picked up 4 wickets in the tournament; in every match he has had a bowl, he has picked up a wicket.

It is left to see whether the Saffas would employ the same tactic against a team whose top order has been in supreme touch in this tournament so far.