Lasith Malinga backs South Africa to do well in World Cup 2019

Team Sri Lanka recently suffered a 0-5 drubbing against South Africa in the ODI assignment of their ongoing tour. The Sri Lankan side, led by Lasith Malinga, struggled big time throughout the series, and could show very little competition. Their efforts in the Test series preceding the ODI series had instilled hopes for their fans. Much against the expectations, the limited-overs leg did not see them carry the same form and fortune.

After the series drubbing, Malinga was graceful in defeat as he accepted the Proteas as the superior outfit on the field. He went on to concede that the South African side has the right balance of players to succeed at the coveted ICC World Cup to be played this year. He feels South Africa will make it to the top four in the tourney. Stressing his point a little further, Malinga explained that the Proteas have great fast bowlers who can prove lethal in the English conditions at the World Cup.

“In the World Cup you never know what can go on. Whoever does best on the day will win. They (South Africa) have good fighting characters and match-winners that the team needs. I think they have a good chance to get into the top four,” Malinga quoted as per Sports24.

“In the World Cup there will be similar conditions and they have very good fast bowlers who are intelligent and have skill. They know who to use that skill, and that’s the important thing. They have wicket-taking options and they have a good bowling unit,” he remarked further.

Du Plessis optimistic about his team’s chances

Meanwhile, South African skipper Faf du Plessis also spoke on similar lines and hailed the bowling might of his team. He noted that the batters often dictate terms for a successful cricket side. However, he is optimistic about his bowlers scripting a new story altogether. He cited that a team like Pakistan has proven in the past that they can succeed despite having an average batting lineup. And this has been because of their excellent bowling setup.

“I’ve been in teams that have had a very long batting line-up and it didn’t prove successful. You can learn from your mistakes and you can look at other teams where they have got it right. Pakistan had a very average batting line-up but it didn’t matter to them because they kept bowling teams out,” an optimistic Faf said.

South Africa and Sri Lanka will now play a three-match T20I series that commences on March 19.

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