Agency :
Sri Lanka will have major concerns about their batting unit heading into the second T20I considering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is just over a month away. Acceleration and acceleration at the right time has been a major concern for them, an issue which again reared its head in the opening contest. They will always expect more from their bowlers to stem the flow of runs and deliver regular breakthroughs.
The Proteas will be much happier with their performance after first game. They will still strive for improvements in the batting unit and hope that the batters can convert their starts into big knocks, enabling them to post bigger scores on the board.
Batting first, South Africa posted a score of 163/5 after handy contributions with the bat from Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and David Miller.
Sri Lanka never managed to get ahead of the chase, despite Dinesh Chandimal’s half-century, losing wickets at regular intervals. They eventually fell short by 28 runs, with South Africa going 1-0 ahead.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said,”There were quite a few challenges. We should have maximized the powerplay; it has been a concern in the last few series for us. The pitches will be a big factor, but we need to adjust to the conditions better. I am trying to play the best team in this series and we want to win the series, but I’ll probably try and see some of the other players also.”
South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj said,”Very happy, brilliant performance all around. I have always wanted to play T20 cricket. I might be 31 but I feel like I’m 21. Just trying to do my bit and get my place in that World Cup starting XI. I always looked up to Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. I have tried to emulate myself on Dravid, he’s been such a gentleman. He went under Sachin’s radar and has been such a great of the game.”
