With a Twenty20 International (T20I) series win over South Africa now under their belt, the visitors, Sri Lanka, will want to carry this momentum into the forthcoming 3-match One-Day International series. The ODI opener will be played at Buffalo Park, East London, on the 9th of April, 2024, at 5:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
South Africa – Laura Wolvaardt (C), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Delmi Tucker
Sri Lanka – Chamari Athapaththu (C), Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Hasini Perera, Anushka Sanjeewani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, Hansima Karunaratne, Imesha Dulani, Kawya Kavindi, Inoshi Fernando, Sugandika Kumari, Prasadini Weerakkody
Players to watch out:
Laura Wolvaardt
The 24-year-old opening batter, averaging 44.60, has racked up 3613 runs, including the highest of 149, from 92 ODI appearances. Laura has been in excellent form lately and, continuing with it, notched up scores of 102 and 56 in the T20Is. Given the form she is in, she will be counted on to continue leading the runs tally.
Marizanne Kapp
The 34-year-old all-rounder in ODIs, from 119 innings, has amassed 2792 runs, while from 133 outings has struck 157 wickets, with respective bests of 102* and 5/45. Marizanne has stepped up with both bat and ball this series, registering scores of 60, 44, and 8, while returning figures of 1/8, 0/17, and 1/24. She’ll be banked upon for the goods.
Vishmi Gunaratne
The 18-year-old batter hasn’t found much success in the ODIs, accumulating only 113 runs, including the highest of 50, from 9 outings. While Vishmi didn’t score many runs in the T20I series, she managed a solid 65* in the 2nd T20I, and it’ll be expected that she capitalizes on this momentum, making the most of this return to form.
Kavisha Dilhari
The 23-year-old all-rounder, from 16 ODI outings, has added 333 runs to the tally and bagged 11 wickets, with respective bests being 84 and 3/42. Kavisha has had a notable series thus far, scoring a 45* in the 2nd T20I and striking a couple of wickets. She’ll be backed to continue her form and relied upon for all-round performances.
Pitch:
The center strip at Buffalo Park provides a certain degree of assistance to the batters with an average score in the 240s. However, the wicket has enough in it for bowlers as well, especially spinners.
Weather:
Expect rain interruptions and delays with scattered thunderstorms on the radar. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 21°C, with moderate winds and humidity at 67%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Anushka Sanjeewani, Laura Wolvaardt, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Anneke Bosch, Chamari Athapaththu, Kavisha Dilhari, Marizanne Kapp, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Nadine de Klerk, Tumi Sekhukhune, Achini Kulasuriya
Match details:
Date – April 9, 2024
Time – 5:30 PM IST
Venue – Buffalo Park, East London
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on the FanCode app and website.