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South Africa vs Sri Lanka Preview
With the Cricket World Cup markets at Betfair.com offering 2/5 on AB de Villiers’ men South Africa will enter their Quarter Final match against Sri Lanka as the bookmakers clear favourites, but will have to shrug off a well-earned reputation as World Cup chokers if they are to progress to the last four.
Much of the pre-match discussion has centred on The Proteas’ terrible record in the knockout stages of this competition and it only takes a cursory glance at the record books to confirm that promising World Cup campaigns have customarily crumbled in the Quarter Finals.
If anything South Africa have put in a less convincing group-stage performance this year than we’ve typically seen over the last two decades, only managing to squeeze into the knockout stages thanks to a strong net run-rate.
Despite some huge scores batting has at times been tentative and over-reliant on the match winning form of AB de Villiers. Defeats against India and Pakistan may have been offset by comprehensive victories against lesser teams (most impressively in their 257-run demolition of the West Indies) but doubts will accompany South Africa as they enter this well-matched Quarter Final, not least because of the extra pressure that comes from their desperation to cast off the chokers tag once and for all.
For their part, Sri Lanka put in some exceptional batting performances in the group stage but lost to Australia and New Zealand and seem to lack a bit of quality in their injury-depleted bowling line-up.
Nonetheless there is a steely determination about Sri Lanka that has seen the perform well under pressure in the latter stages of recent tournaments and it’s certainly hard to argue with a betting line-up that includes the unstoppable Kumar Sangakkra and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Between them they’ve accumulated a whopping 891 runs and Sangakkra (who is set to retire from ODI cricket) will pursue his fifth consecutive century spurred by the extra incentive of wanting to ensure that this doesn’t prove to be the last One Day International of his career.
It’s tempting to conclude that the outcome of this match may rest on the toss of a coin. Both teams perform far better when their batsmen are given the chance to set a big target rather than chase one.
Continue reading the Original Post.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Preview
With the Cricket World Cup markets at Betfair.com offering 2/5 on AB de Villiers’ men South Africa will enter their Quarter Final match against Sri Lanka as the bookmakers clear favourites, but will have to shrug off a well-earned reputation as World Cup chokers if they are to progress to the last four.
Much of the pre-match discussion has centred on The Proteas’ terrible record in the knockout stages of this competition and it only takes a cursory glance at the record books to confirm that promising World Cup campaigns have customarily crumbled in the Quarter Finals.
If anything South Africa have put in a less convincing group-stage performance this year than we’ve typically seen over the last two decades, only managing to squeeze into the knockout stages thanks to a strong net run-rate.
Despite some huge scores batting has at times been tentative and over-reliant on the match winning form of AB de Villiers. Defeats against India and Pakistan may have been offset by comprehensive victories against lesser teams (most impressively in their 257-run demolition of the West Indies) but doubts will accompany South Africa as they enter this well-matched Quarter Final, not least because of the extra pressure that comes from their desperation to cast off the chokers tag once and for all.
For their part, Sri Lanka put in some exceptional batting performances in the group stage but lost to Australia and New Zealand and seem to lack a bit of quality in their injury-depleted bowling line-up.
Nonetheless there is a steely determination about Sri Lanka that has seen the perform well under pressure in the latter stages of recent tournaments and it’s certainly hard to argue with a betting line-up that includes the unstoppable Kumar Sangakkra and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Between them they’ve accumulated a whopping 891 runs and Sangakkra (who is set to retire from ODI cricket) will pursue his fifth consecutive century spurred by the extra incentive of wanting to ensure that this doesn’t prove to be the last One Day International of his career.
It’s tempting to conclude that the outcome of this match may rest on the toss of a coin. Both teams perform far better when their batsmen are given the chance to set a big target rather than chase one.
Continue reading the Original Post.
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