http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 – 1st Test – Sri Lankan batsmen to watch out for
South Africa will take on Sri Lanka in the first Test of the three match series at the SuperSport Park, Centurion in South Africa on Thursday, December 15, 2011.
The hosts are likely to be dominant in the series, as the opposition has been playing poor cricket in recent times.
The main problem for Sri Lanka will be to take 20 wickets in a five-day match. The team currently does not possess any threatening bowler and have been vulnerable since the retirement of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864. The former of
the two has only retired from the longest version of the game.
However, the conditions in South Africa are always good for the bowlers and that can help the Lankan attack to take wickets.
Therefore the team will be eying a better performance, especially with the batting talent they possess.
Sri Lanka’s skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CH-Gayle-c1221.
When such batsmen get going, they can simply devastate the opposition, no matter how strong they are.
However, Dilshan’s recent form has not been good, especially in Test cricket. He was appointed captain of the side after the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Cup 2011, but is yet to win a game in the longest version.
The 35-year-old will be looking to break the shackles against the Proteas and prove his critics wrong. His batting style will be suitable for bouncy pitches, as he prefers to play mostly on the back-foot.
The veteran cricketer had a decent outing in the practice game against the South African Invitation XI, scoring 74 runs with the help of eight fours and a couple of sixes. He will be looking forward to carry onto the same momentum in the opening game of
the series.
Dilshan will need some support from the other batters as well, especially at the top of the order.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/NT-Paranavitana-c2132 will open alongside his captain and the pair complements each other very nicely.
The left-handed batsman will also be full of confidence, as he scored a century in the tour match. Other than that, he also batted decently in a recently concluded series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033 (UAE).
The brightest hope for the tourists will be their solid middle-order, which comprises of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TT-Samaraweera-c2712. The latter of the three will be making his comeback to international cricket after he was dumped for the
Pakistan series.
There was some doubt over Sangakkara’s availability for the first Test, as he suffered a hand injury during the practice match. He was unable to bat after the problem, but the doctors suggested that the injury was not of a serious concern.
The stylish left-handed batsman has been in prolific form over the past few months and will be expecting the momentum to continue against South Africa.
Jayawardene will be the other key player for Sri Lanka, as he has the ability to adjust to any conditions. He did not manage to make a solid impression against Pakistan, but will be eying to turn things around against the Proteas.
Although the tourists have some quality batsmen, they will be up against one of the finest bowling attacks of the world. Therefore the fans will get to see an interesting competition between bat and ball.
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