RSA vs SL Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Oct 07, 2023
South Africa and Sri Lanka will contest their first match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup in Delhi, India, on Saturday. The Proteas and Sri Lankans currently occupy fourth and seventh position, respectively, in the International Cricket Council's rankings for ODI teams.
Neither team managed a victory during the World Cup warm-up matches. Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan and Bangladesh. South Africa were defeated by New Zealand and shared a washout with Afghanistan. Let's see what the betting odds and cricket markets have in store for this opening encounter.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka head-to-head record
South Africa have three wins to Sri Lanka's two in their last five ODI meetings. Since their first ODI meeting in 1992, South Africa have beaten Sri Lanka 45 times - and Sri Lanka have won on 33 occasions. They have not played each other in this format of international cricket since 2021.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka live stream and broadcast
You can watch all Cricket World Cup matches on the Star Sports Network and their Disney+ Hotstar app. This is a great way to stream live cricket online in India. The tournament will also be broadcast on free-to-air channels by Doordarshan.
RSA vs SL Team Previews
South Africa
South Africa missed captain Temba Bavuma during the warm-up matches. He headed home for a brief stint, but has since returned to India. Bavuma is the Proteas' leading scorer in ODI cricket in 2023, having collected 637 runs in 10 innings for an average of 79.62. Those, indeed, are impressive stats going into a major tournament.
Bavuma, of course, is going to need plenty of support. Opener Quinton de Kock is in fine form. He struck 84 not out in the recent warm-up fixture against New Zealand. His last five ODI innings before that half-century against the Black Caps were 27, 45, 82, 45 and 11.
Bowling-wise, the Proteas will be without duo Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala for this match - and the entire tournament. Both have been sidelined by injury. Replacements Andile Phehlukwayo and Lizaad Williams will be challenged to come good in the absence of the first-choice seamers.
All-rounder Marco Jansen has taken the most wickets in ODI competition this year for South Africa. He has claimed 16 wickets in 11 matches. Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, meanwhile, is averaging almost two wickets per ODI in 2023 - 13 in seven. That's a prolific ratio in ODI cricket.
South Africa Playing 11
Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
Sri Lanka
While South Africa advanced straight to the World Cup, Sri Lanka got here via the qualifying tournament. The Proteas recently completed an ODI series win over Australia, while the Sri Lankans reached the final of the 2023 Asia Cup last month. Both teams can continue the momentum in this match.
Sri Lanka will be buoyed by the availability of spinner Maheesh Theekshana. He missed the Asia Cup final due to injury, but has since recovered. Theekshana is the third-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket in 2023 with 31 in 15 matches for an average of more than two per match.
The absences of fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga are significant setbacks for Sri Lanka, though. Hasaranga has emerged as one of the best all-rounders in domestic and T20I cricket, but will miss this ODI tournament because of injury.
Batting-wise, the Sri Lankans can look to opener Pathum Nissanka and wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis for big contributions. Mendis struck 158 in the warm-up fixture against Afghanistan. Nissanka is the country's leading scorer in ODIs this year with 819 runs in 20 innings at an average of 45.50.
Sri Lanka Playing 11
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana.
RSA vs SL Toss Prediction
This match will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which is also known as the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, in Delhi. Four of the last five ODIs at this ground have been won by the team batting first. This suggests the toss-winning captain will opt to bat first.
The pitch will likely wear quicker than most others around India and prove increasingly tough to bat on. This is another reason why the team to win the toss will probably opt to bowl second.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
This will be the first of five World Cup round-robin matches in Delhi. With the pitch fresh and outfield set fair, a first-innings total of 280-odd could be considered competitive.
Sri Lanka have not completed an ODI in Delhi since 2009, while South Africa met India here last year. The venue boasts a mere 300-plus first-innings totals, which suggests we are in for a relatively low-scoring affair.
Sri Lanka have never totalled more than 277 at this ground - and that was more than 40 years ago. South Africa's highest ODI total here is 223.
RSA vs SL Betting Tips
South Africa have never won a Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka clinched their first and only title in 1996. Each team will understandably be eager to get their 2023 campaign off to a winning start. The Proteas look in a stronger position to do this than the Sri Lankans.
South Africa's recent ODI series victory over Australia has pledged plenty. The hosts were two-nil down in that series before winning three-two. Sri Lanka were largely unconvincing during the round of World Cup warm-up matches.
The Proteas are priced as 1.44 to win this match. Sri Lanka are offered as 2.84, which could bring bigger value, but is a riskier bet than opting for South Africa.
Bonus Cricket Bets
This tournament will be de Kock's final bow in ODI cricket. He put in a series of good knocks against Australia and almost hit a century in the warm-up with New Zealand recently. His solid form suggests he will score 32 and more here.
Both bowling attacks have been weakened by injury absences, but Sri Lanka look to have the stronger resources - and could be better versed in sub-continental conditions recently than South Africa. Theekshana's presence, in particular, makes Sri Lanka's bowling department a more formidable option.
This bet does not centre around any player in particular, but certainly involves the opening batters. With the field up during the powerplay and attacking intent from the team batting first, it's likely we'll see one boundary per over for the first three, if not more.
Who will win RSA vs SL
Powered by
Match Predictions
Cricket Betting Tips
- Highest opening partnership - India W (1.55) and 1 more BANW vs INDW betting tip
- Total runs in the highest scoring over of the match - Over 22.5 (1.95) and 2 more MI vs SRH betting tips
- Nazmul Hossain Shanto to become the top batter. - 4.10 and 3 more BAN vs ZIM betting tips
- Delhi Capitals to win the toss - 1.90 and 4 more DC vs RR betting tips
We are eager to know what you think of our match predictions, if there is anything we can do better or if you want to let us know your own predictions for the match.