SA v SL, 1st Test Preview: Sri Lanka faces daunting task on Boxing Day

As Boxing Day beckons for both South Africa and Sri Lanka, there are two sides of the spectrum in context here. Firstly, Port Elizabeth is perhaps one of the flatter decks in the South African roster of international Test match venues. Secondly, the South Africans are coming back from what has been an impressive run on the road. As far as the Sri Lankans are concerned, it seems to be that the resurgence of what was viewed as a team in transition is seemingly becoming one of dominance.

However, as other pundits and experts choose to look at the contrarian view, it would witness Sri Lanka as a blossoming side yet remaining in transition. This would also mean that the odds on the Boxing Day Test match let alone the series is well and truly stacked against their favor meaning that they would need something of a superhuman effort to bring some joy to what has been a mixed bag of results in the 2016 calendar year of Test matches.

Prelude

Sri Lanka come into the series on the back of a surprising winning streak. Five out of five including wins over Australia and Zimbabwe is certainly something that needs to be applauded. What’s more is that the Lankans have shown character in recent times, reinforcing the fact that they are not the pushovers they once were not too long ago.

However, while there are the bells and whistles for everyone to see, it would also seem as though Graham Ford’s men have seldom been tested given the manner in which they steamrolled the Australians in the island of Lanka. Should Ford and Angelo Mathews have any plans, or hopes of striking gold in the ‘transitioning’ team, this series provides the perfect platform for the same.

Faf’s Gambit

As a part of the prelude, all eyes (at least the South African ones, and a few Australian ones) have been on skipper Faf du Plessis. The South African had recently taken over the captaincy reins from AB de Villiers, something that reinforces the fact that talent with the bat and being a leader among men are two very abstract and contrasting views.

However, the eyes that have been on 32-year-old du Plessis have also been on his lips and his mouth given the recent ball-tampering charges the former has been brave enough to quash and fight. While mint lollies would certainly be accompanying the Proteas as they take the field on the day after Christmas, it would be fair to assume that the ICC would have one eye firmly fixed on Faf and his pocket full of mint lollies.

The Evergreen Mr. Herath

At the close of the second Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle a few months prior, Rangana Herath stated that he simply had no plans of giving up his boots anytime soon. While Misbah-ul-Haq is making waves down under with some spectacular fielding that sees all his 42 years on planet Earth be called into question, Herath has been a rather quiet operator in terms of plying his spinning trade.

Of course, it has been a feature of his career that he goes on without showboating, but the one aspect that has taken center-stage is the captaincy role that was thrust on him in the tour of Zimbabwe. As evergreen as he seems with 350 plus Test scalps to his name, a leadership role would be in the offing for the 39-year-old as a tough encounter at Port Elizabeth beckons.

South Africa

As far as team news for the Proteas goes, they will once again be without stalwarts Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers. While the former has had the unfortunate injury cloud strike at an awful time in his simply brilliant career, de Villiers would seem to be suffering from poor fitness. It would, however, not be too much of a surprise to see de Villiers make his way back into the grand scheme of things when it comes to the succeeding Test matches in the series.

South African coach Russell Domingo has also gone on to state that the 13-man squad is perfect for him as the dubious honor of leaving two players out is much easier as compared to leaving 4. However, with squad depth in question, the fitness of most of the lads in the squad will come into play as a warm holiday season is set to kick off at a humid Port Elizabeth.

Sri Lanka

As mentioned earlier, the Sri Lankans would be entering this one on the back of what has been viewed as a curveball. Of course, they have won five of their last five Test matches, but they remain underdogs in the upcoming series against what has been viewed as a dominant South African side that thrives in seaming conditions.

However, the one thing the islanders will certainly have going for them would be the fact that they are almost full-strength barring the inclusion of Dhammika Prasad who is undergoing a few medical procedures for his injuries sustained in England. Dushmantha Chameera will be looking to exploit the conditions in the pacey South African tracks in what will be his first tour of the country.

Probable XI

South Africa:

Faf du Plessis (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Theunis de Bruyn/Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Keshav Maharaj

Sri Lanka:

Angelo Mathews (C), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera

StAttack:

1. Sri Lanka and South Africa have played 9 Test series against each other. The Lankans have won just the two series both in Sri Lanka. They are yet to win a Test series in South Africa.

2. Sri Lanka has never played a Test match at Port Elizabeth. This is not the best of venues for the Proteas as well as they have won just four of their last ten matches played at this venue.

3. Quinton de Kock requires two more catches to complete 50 catches in Tests.

4. Vernon Philander requires 8 wickets to complete 150 Test match wickets. Kagiso Rabada requires 6 wickets to complete 50 wickets.

5. Kaushal Silva requires 126 runs to complete 2000 Test match runs.

6. Rangana Herath requires 4 wickets to complete 355 Test wickets and move into second place in the most Test wickets for Sri Lanka. He is currently in third place behind Lankan bowling legend Chaminda Vaas who boasts of 355 wickets to his name.