SA vs SL 1st Test Prediction & Betting Tips
There were lot of speculations about whether of not this Sri Lanka tour of South Africa will go ahead as planned after a number of Covid cases in the bio bubble but things look positive now as both teams are set to clash on a beautiful SuperSport Park on 26th December. The match is all set to get underway at 10:00 AM local time
South Africa is not the same team they used to be but against this toothless Sri Lanka team, they’ll be very confident of their chances. They’ll be led by a new skipper Quinton de Kock who’d love to start his captaincy stint with a series win.
South Africa batting looks pretty settled with Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen,and Sarel Erwee. All of them have been playing together for quite a while now and we can expect them perform well in the upcoming game. The loss of Kagiso Rabada who’s suffering from a groin injury is definitely a blow but Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Glenton Stuurman and Keshav Maharaj still forms a pretty decent attack.
For Sri Lanka, most of their players were playing in the Lanka Premier League so their transition from T-20 to Test matches won’t be that easy. Dimuth Karunaratne Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal form a strong top order while Minod Bhanuka or Santhush Gunatilake will bat at five.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella will add depth to the visitor's batting line-up.Lasith Embuldaniya will be the main spinner while Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara and Dushmanta Chameera will be their first choice pacers.
If you look at the teams, both Sri Lanka and South Africa have quite a few experienced players but Sri Lanka’s bowling looks bleak and for them to take 20 wickets won’t be easy.
SA vs SL Live Streaming
The series will be broadcasted live on Supersport in South Africa while Star Sports have the rights to telecast it in India.
Live Streaming: The match will be streamed live Disney Hotstar app in India
SA vs SL Toss Prediction
Toss will be crucial here as it’s a good wicket to bat on and putting runs on the board will definitely help.
Weather Report
The weather looks very promising throughout the Test with temperature hovering around mid 20’s.
Pitch Report
The match will be played at the SuperSport Park, Centurion. It’s generally a very good wicket to bat on and can be expected to play the same . The ball may do a little bit in the first hour but once you get through it, it’ll be a belter of a wicket.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test
South Africa Team News & Playing 11
SA Team News
South Africa’s campaign has been dented by injuries. First they lost Kagiso Ranada due to a groin injury and now Beuran Hendricks and Keegan Petersen have withdrawn their name from the two test series.
SA Key Players
- Quinton de Kock - The new skipper will be eager to start his captaincy stint on a positive note. He’s one of the mainstay of the South Africa batting and is in some decent form with the bat. We expect him to bat well in the first Test.
- Faf du Plessis- He’s the most experienced South African batsmen and can be backed to come good in the series opener. Du Plessis has been playing a lot of white ball cricket and has been in terrific form.
- Anrich Nortje - Nortje will lead South Africa’s attack in the absence of Rabada. He’s a brilliant bowler and will test the Sri Lankan batting.
SA Team Form
South Africa will be playing a test after a gap of 11 months. Their last series was against which they lost 3-1. Quite a few of their players haven’t played much cricket of late
South Africa Predicted Playing 11
Quinton de Kock(c&wk), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Sarel Rewee, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj, Glenton Stuurman, Lungi Ngidi
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
SL Team News
Sri Lanka too was handed a low blow after their ace batsmen Angelo Matthews was ruled out of the series after suffering an injury. Oshada Fernando has also not fully recovered and won’t be available for the 1st Test.
SL Key Players
- Dimuth Karunratne - Dimuth Karunaratne is one batsmen that can play long innings, exactly what Sri Lanka need. Most of their players have been playing T-20 cricket which makes Karunaratne vital for them.
- Kusal Mendis - Another batsmen that you can back to come good. Mendis was in fine form in the Lanka Premier League and his team will be hoping that he can carry on his form in the Test format.
- Suranga Lakmal - Suranga Lakmal is Sri Lanka’s best bowler and can be expected to cause some trouble to the South African batting.
SL Team Form
Sri Lanka too have not played much Test cricket of late. Their last series was against Zimbabwe which they won 1-0. Earlier, they lost the series to Australia
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
Dimuth Karunaratne(c) Kusal Perera(wk), Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Minod Bhanuka,Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embuldaniya, Dushmantha Chameera
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Head to Head
South Africa have faired decently against Sri Lanka in Tests
SA vs SL Head to Head Stats in Tests
| Matches Played |
SA Won |
SL Won |
Tie |
Draw |
| 29 |
14 |
9 |
0 |
6 |
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Betting Odds
A Strong batting line up gives the hosts an edge over the Visitors. Sri Lanka too have a decent batting line up but lack a quality bowler.
South Africa Bet365 Odds
- SA to win: South Africa are 1.30 to win with Bet 365
- SA top team batsman: Aiden Markram at 4.0, Dean Elgar at 4.0, Faf du Plessis at 4.33 and Quinton de Kock at 5.00 are their best batsmen.
- SA top team bowler: Anrich Nortje at 3.50 along with Lungi Ngidi is South Africa’s best bowlers. Other bowlers that can be backed are Keshav Maharaj, Glenton Stuurman and Dwaine Pretorious at 4.4, 5.0 and 5.0 respectively.
Sri Lanka Bet365 Odds
- SL to win: Sri Lanka are 7.0 to win with Bet 365
- SL top team batsman: Kusal Mendis at 4.0 can be backed as Sri Lanka’s best batsmen followed by Dimuth Karunaratne at 4.33, Dinesh Chandimal at 5.5 and Niroshan Dickwella at 6.00
- SL top team bowler: Lahiru Kumara at 4.0 and Suranga Lakmal is Sri Lanka’s best bowlers along with Dilruwan Perera at 4.0, Vishwa Fernando at 4.5 and Kasun Rajitha at 4.50.
South Africa Betway Odds
- SA to win:South Africa are 1.33 to win with Betway
- SA top team batsman: Aiden Markram at 4.50 is the best South African batsmen followed by Dean Elgar, Quinto de Kock and Faf du Plessis at 4.5,4.5 and 4.75
- SA top team bowler: Lungi Ngidi at 3.5 and Anrich Nortje ar 4.0 are their top bowlers. You can also place your bet on Keshav Maharaj at 4.5 and Glenton Stuurman at 4.75
Sri Lanka Betway Odds
- SL to win: Sri Lanka are 5.5 to win with Betway
- SL top team batsman: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne at 4.25, 4.75, 5.0 and 5.50 are their top most batsmen
- SL top team bowler: At 3.25, Suranga Lakmal is the top Sri Lanka bowler along with Kasun Rajitha ar 4.0, Lahiru Kumara at 4.0 and Asitha Fernando at 4.33
🏆 South Africa vs Sri Lanka Prediction
Both teams have a strong batting line up but Sri Lanka bowling doesn’t look threatning at all. We don’t think they’ll be able to take 20 South African wicket thus we’re going in with South Africa as the winner of this match.
Dec 26 - Dec 29, 2020
13:30 IST / 8:00 GMT
SuperSport Park - Centurion, South Africa
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