South Africa - Sri Lanka Predictions & Betting tips - ICC Men's Cricket World Cup

Prediction published on 06/10/2023, 10:45  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 06/10/2023 at 12:47

Match four of 48 in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will see South Africa take on Sri Lanka. Both sides are playing their first match of the competition. South Africa are currently ranked fourth in the world standings, while Sri Lanka are seventh. The Proteas come into this tournament with momentum on their side. They are fresh off a series win against Australia, where they came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the final match. The Proteas have been hit with a few key player injuries ahead of the World Cup, especially in the bowling department. Both Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala are injured, while only  Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are available as spin options. Nevertheless, South Africa’s strength has been their batting lineup of late, with the likes of Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, and Aiden Markram all carrying strike rates in excess of 90 into the competition. The Proteas are the bookmakers' favourite in this one. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka come into the tournament with major question marks over both their batting and bowling. Despite making it to the final of the Asia Cup, they received a big slice of luck in the semi-final, thanks to DLS. Not to mention, they were dismissed for just 50 runs in 15 overs in the final. Since then, Sri Lanka lost all three warm-up matches. First to Bangladesh and then back-to-back against Afghanistan. Another concern for The Lions is their lack of firepower, with only one of their top six currently striking at over 90. Despite that, Sri Lanka will take confidence from the fact that they beat South Africa in their last ODI series back in 2021. With more familiarity with the conditions, the Sri Lankans will feel they can pull off an upset here.