ICC World Cup 2019: Sri Lanka vs South Africa warm-up match details, venue stats, team news and key players

With the ICC World Cup 2019 just being a week away, all the teams are hustling and preparing well for the mega event in England and Wales. Sri Lanka will take on South Africa in a warm-up match at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Friday. After being hammered by the same opponents earlier this year, Sri Lanka will be hoping to land a counter punch, while the Proteas must be desperate to perform well in the World Cup and efface their ‘chokers’ tag.

Sri Lanka, under Dimuth Karunaratne, are one of the most inexperienced and incapacitated team this year. The Lankan Lions have been struggling to find their feet across all the three formats in recent years. Karunaratne made a comeback for the Scotland series and scored a half-century in the previous game to gain some confidence for the upcoming event. Along with him, Kusal Mendis and Angelo Matthews will provide stability in the middle order, while Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep will lead the bowling attack in the seaming friendly English conditions.

On the contrary, South Africa have been in exceptional form in limited-overs cricket on the back of some consistent performers. The Proteas are currently third in the ICC ODI rankings, trailing behind England and India respectively. Faf du Plessis would be eyeing to break the World Cup jinx and clinch the country's maiden title. The African nation has a well-balanced squad with the right combination of youth and experience. With match winners such as Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, David Miller, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn in their ranks, South Africa can be a threat to any team. The talent is there, but it’s their consistency and performance under pressure which will be tested in the World Cup.

Match Details

Date: Friday, 24 May 2019

Time: 03:00 PM IST

Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Live Telecast: Star Network

Online Streaming: Hotstar

Venue Stats

Avg 1st Innings score: 227

Avg 2nd Innings score: 216

Highest Total: 342/8 (50 Ov) by Eng vs AUS

Lowest Total: 138/10 (37.5 Ov) by SL vs NZ

Highest Chased: 304/6 (48.2 Ov) by PAK vs Eng

Lowest Defended: 169/10 (23.3 Ov) by Eng vs NZ

Team News

Sri Lanka

• The Sri Lankans must be ecstatic with the comeback of Lasith Malinga after a successful IPL campaign.
• Seasoned campaigners like Upul Thranga and Dinesh Chandimal have been left out from the squad to give an opportunity to the youngsters.

South Africa

• Chris Morris replaced the injured Anrich Nortje in South Africa’s squad.
• Kagiso Rabada alongside Dale Steyn and Lungi Ngidi will form a menacing pace attack in the World Cup.

Squads

Sri Lanka

Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Jeffery Vandersay, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana.

South Africa

Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, JP Duminy, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir

Key players

Sri Lanka

• Kusal Perera
• Kusal Mendis
• Lasith Malinga

South Africa

• Quinton de Kock
• Faf du Plessis
• Kagiso Rabada

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