South Africa vs Sri Lanka Preview: Team News & Prediction | 1st Test
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The Proteas host Sri Lanka in what is their first home Test series of the South African summer and their first red ball games since a two-match sweep of Bangladesh last month.
Date/Time: Tuesday November 26th 2024: US PST – 11:30pm / Wednesday November 27th 2024: US EST – 2:30am / UK – 7:30am
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa
Weather: Rain could severely affect day one, but the remaining days are expected to remain dry with sunny spells and temperatures in and around the mid-twenties.
How To Watch On TV: UK – Sky Sports / US – Willow TV
How To Watch Online: UK – Sky Go / US – Willow TV
South Africa Form: On the back of three straight Test victories
South Africa looked excellent against Bangladesh in the Subcontinent, winning their two Tests comprehensively, one of those by an innings and 273 runs. Kagiso Rabada is set to lead the Proteas’ bowling attack, which should see spinner Keshav Maharaj play a very important part on their own ground. Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee will back up Rabada, whilst lots of excitement surrounds batter Tristan Stubbs at number three after an excellent tour of Bangladesh.
LAST THREE: WWW
Sri Lanka Form: Also looking to extend a three-Test win streak
Sri Lanka used their victory against England at the Kia Oval as a springboard moving forward in Test cricket. Two wins against New Zealand, also in September further boosted their World Test Championship final aspirations and here the tourists are playing on a ground where they are yet to taste defeat in red ball cricket.
LAST THREE: LLL
South Africa Betting Analysis
Back on his home ground on a pitch likely to take spin as the Test goes on, Keshav Maharaj represents good value for investment here. An experienced player like him is usually extremely reliable in red ball cricket with his subtle variations and changes of pace confusion opposition batters. Utilising the ‘Bowler Total Match Wickets’ market may prove the smart move on this occasion, with Maharaj worth backing to take over 3.5 match wickets.
Sri Lanka Betting Analysis
The big question for bettors from a Sri Lankan perspective is whether Kamindu Mendis’ incredible honeymoon period in Test cricket will come to an end in South Africa. The 26-year-old boasts five hundreds across eight Test matches including centuries in both England and Bangladesh. The confidence of Mendis is likely to be so high that he certainly won’t be phased taking on this South Africa bowling attack and backing him with a small stake to finish as top scorer for Sri Lanka over the course of this first Test commands serious consideration.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Expert Prediction
Rain is likely to have a big impact in this Test with a day one washout very much possible according to the forecast and that has to be taken into account when weighing up who is most likely to come out on top. With that in mind, the sensible option may well be to focus on individual players rather than the overall outcome. This leads us to fall back on Maharaj, who is usually so effective on home surfaces and should really come into the game here. It would be no surprise to see him accumulate more than just a few wickets against Sri Lanka.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Tip: Keshav Maharaj to take 4+ wickets
