1st Quarter Final - South Africa v Sri Lanka (18th March)

[smash84]

yep, then that's the one. Will be looking forward to how he fares tomorrow then

 

[Flem274*]

Bat pgilander at 7 and play five real bowlers. He's a bowling allrounder, its his job to bat 7 in an emergency

 

[Cruxdude]

Kind of torn here. Want SA to win but also don't want their wonderful streak of losses in knockout games to end.

 

[anil1405]

Kusal Perera's form over the last three months has been like that of DeKock's in the group stages. That's why he wasn't picked for the WC in first place.

 

[gettingbetter]

Bat pgilander at 7 and play five real bowlers. He's a bowling allrounder, its his job to bat 7 in an emergency

Philander has not done anything noteworthy batting wise in ODIs.

 

[viriya]

Hopefully.

But the funniest thing is that the potential replacement they've picked if he isn't fit in time is Tharandu Kaushal, sorry viriya...

 

[Zinzan]

Big game tomorrow. Can't wait!

SL have to win the toss and bat first. Sanga gets another ton. !

Tend to agree they should look to bat first all things even. Having said that, I don't think any of us need to be overly concerned if SL do have to chase...it is after all something they do exceedingly well. I mean they were neck and neck with Aust for a large part of that ridiculous 370 run chase.

 

[Bahnz]

Tend to agree they should look to bat first all things even. Having said that, I don't think any of us need to be overly concerned if SL do have to chase...it is after all something they do exceedingly well. I mean they were neck and neck with Aust for a large part of that ridiculous 370 run chase.

Eh...I think that SL do have problems with chasing big totals. They fundamentally lack the quality and power in their lower order needed to keep up with a RRR of 8+ in the last 20 or so overs. Sangakkara is a genius, but he lacks the extra gear needed once the run rate really starts to mushroom. Ditto for Jayawardene. Only Dilshan and Matthews can really press the accelerator when necessary. And no one in the lower order can really contribute in any substantial way. The moment that Chandimal departed in the Aussie game, SRL came apart at the seams, and I think the same scenario will play out against any quality bowling lineup (and I very much include SAF in that category).

 

[Antihippy]

I have almost no hope. Im kind of relying that de kock is key to success...

That's all a man can hope for.

 

[Zinzan]

Eh...I think that SL do have problems with chasing big totals. They fundamentally lack the quality and power in their lower order needed to keep up with a RRR of 8+ in the last 20 or so overs. Sangakkara is a genius, but he lacks the extra gear needed once the run rate really starts to mushroom. Ditto for Jayawardene. Only Dilshan and Matthews can really press the accelerator when necessary. And no one in the lower order can really contribute in any substantial way. The moment that Chandimal departed in the Aussie game, SRL came apart at the seams, and I think the same scenario will play out against any quality bowling lineup (and I very much include SAF in that category).

Er, they were chasing 370 against the Australian attack ..how many teams would even get within 100 runs of Australia chasing that sort of target? Sure they don't have the deepest batting resources, but their overall ability to chase is still strong. Hence why they cruised to 300 against England & made a real game of it chasing that 370 v Australia until Chandimal got injured. You're not suggesting bowling is their strength are you?

 

[Dan]

Hopefully.

But the funniest thing is that the potential replacement they've picked if he isn't fit in time is Tharandu Kaushal, sorry viriya...

If Kaushal's action is legal (I thought I saw a bit of straightening in the Test he played in NZ, so wouldn't be opposed to seeing him go through the process), then he's the goods IMO. Looks a serious bowler to me.

 

[Bahnz]

Er, they were chasing 370 against the Australian attack ..how many teams would even get within 100 runs of Australia chasing that sort of target? Sure they don't have the deepest batting resources, but their overall ability to chase is still strong. Hence why they cruised to 300 against England & made a real game of it chasing that 370 v Australia until Chandimal got injured. You're not suggesting bowling is their strength are you?

No of course not. I'm saying that while yes their batting is strong, they lack the middle/lower-order power required to consistently make big scores against good bowling attacks. We saw that against NZ earlier this summer when they failed to pass 300 once - even after repeatedly working their way into very strong positions at the 35 over mark. The same held true in the Sydney game. In meme-speak, they're an exquisite angel cake, with a cowpat smeared on top. Their best bet is to bat first, put 320 on the board, and hope that Malinga and Herath can apply enough pressure to bring SA undone.

 

[Zinzan]

No of course not. I'm saying that while yes their batting is strong, they lack the middle/lower-order power required to consistently make big scores against good bowling attacks. We saw that against NZ earlier this summer when they failed to pass 300 once - even after repeatedly working their way into very strong positions at the 35 over mark. The same held true in the Sydney game. In meme-speak, they're an exquisite angel cake, with a cowpat smeared on top. Their best bet is to bat first, put 320 on the board, and hope that Malinga and Herath can apply enough pressure to bring SA undone.

Yeah I agreed with the batting first theory, but just remarked that it wouldn't be the end of the world for them if they had to chase 320 or less against SA.

If guys like Jayawardene & Mathews can actually be at the crease...I could see them chasing 8 an over in the last 20. Jayawardene may not be your classic big hitter like an Anderson or Maxwell, but I've seen him take 20+ off overs of really good bowlers before by just subtly moving around the crease & finding gaps. I do agree their batsmen no.s 7-11 is where they lack firepower.

 

[Spikey]

ICC should step in and allow both teams to progress to the semis

 

[anil1405]

Are SL likely to opt two spinners in Prasanna and Herath plus Dilshan?

 

[Jono]

SL paying $3 on Betfair. Are these ****s for real? Happy for Saffers to be favs but that is just delicious odds.

 

[viriya]

No of course not. I'm saying that while yes their batting is strong, they lack the middle/lower-order power required to consistently make big scores against good bowling attacks. We saw that against NZ earlier this summer when they failed to pass 300 once - even after repeatedly working their way into very strong positions at the 35 over mark. The same held true in the Sydney game. In meme-speak, they're an exquisite angel cake, with a cowpat smeared on top. Their best bet is to bat first, put 320 on the board, and hope that Malinga and Herath can apply enough pressure to bring SA undone.

It's true, SL's batting issues have been masked because of Sanga's brilliance in the group stages.. Usually SL ****s up the last 20 overs in batting, and you can't expect Sanga to keep tonning up. Mahela is due and is a big game player though.

 

[viriya]

SL paying $3 on Betfair. Are these ****s for real? Happy for Saffers to be favs but that is just delicious odds.

Yea SA at 68% before the toss seems too high. This is the closest quarterfinal in terms of odds though - goes to show that the really interesting games are the semis.

 

[Daemon]

SL paying $3 on Betfair. Are these ****s for real? Happy for Saffers to be favs but that is just delicious odds.

Haha what?

Can someone help me put $20 on them? I'll pay you via PayPal. Pls.

 

[Hurricane]

Yea SA at 68% before the toss seems too high. This is the closest quarterfinal in terms of odds though - goes to show that the really interesting games are the semis.

I am hanging out for these games even if some teams are the underdogs.