ODI preview 
/ Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 10 January 2012 / Leave a Comment
Kumar Sangakarra remains Sri Lanka's key wicket in this format
"If Sri Lanka bat first and Dilshan and Tharanga score quickly it may provide a back-to-lay opportunity but South Africa are a safe pre-match bet to draw first blood. Especially if we consider they have won 12 of the 18 ODIs against Sri Lanka played on home soil."
Sri Lanka are a far better ODI team than Test side but South Africa rule the roost on home soil and have the better balance. Expect Kumar Sangakarra to play a big innings but the hosts to come out on top in the end says Jamie Pacheco.
Team News
South Africa enter the first ODI on a high after comprehensively beating Sri Lanka in the Third Test. If anyone needing any reminding that Jacques Kallis is still a force to be reckoned with in international cricket (after a slight dip in form) they should look at his numbers for that match. He batted just once and scored 224. "Ah, but it was a belter of a wicket," we hear you cry. Perhaps, but that doesn't explain why his fast-medium deliveries on a nagging line also claimed three second-innings wickets (he didn't bowl in the first) as Sri Lanka were bowled out twice in a Test that finished on day four. King Kallis also took six catches in the match.
Kallis will as ever be an integral part of South Africa's ODI team, which of course will be captained by AB de Villiers for the first time, who will also keep wicket. There's no place for Test hero Vernon Philander or for Imran Tahir for that matter, the Proteas preferring to go with Robin Peterson, who offers a great deal more with the bat and in the field. He's likely to form a spinning partnership with the canny Johan Botha while all-rounder Albie Morkel is recalled after an absence of over a year from the national side. Just like younger brother Morne, he's not guaranteed a game.
The big changes for Sri Lanka as they take to the limited-overs format are the return of Lasith Malinga - a monumental boost to their bowling line-up - mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis and opener Upul Tharanga. But there's no place for veteran run-machine Thilan Samaraweera, who was the second highest runscorer in the Test series behind AB de Villiers. This is an odd choice that the Sri Lanka management and captain Tillekeratne Dilshan may live to regret. They have plenty of flashy stroke-makers in Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews and Dilshan himself but all of them lack the discipline and patience of Samaraweera when it comes to constructing an anchoring innings.
Venue
The last time an ODI was played at this ground (Boland Park Ground, Paarl) was so long ago that both Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were in action and Mohammad Youssuf was still known as Yousuf Youhana. It was a match played between Pakistan and the Netherlands during the 2003 World Cup in which Pakistan posted 253 before their opponents fell just under 100 runs short when chasing. The history books therefore don't give us a good indication of what might be a good score but thankfully SA bowler and local lad Rory Kleiveldt has offered some insight into the matter, saying 280 or 290 would be a competitive total to post.
Match Odds
South Africa are [1.48] to win this match and that's understandable. For all their mental problems when it comes to big tournaments, they're a formidable side on home soil when it comes to an ODI series. The secret to their success? A very well-balanced side who is extremely consistent in all three disciplines.
In fairness to Sri Lanka they're a better ODI side than Test team. Malinga has a lot to do with that but as significantly, their best batsmen are better suited to playing innings of 50 or 60 runs at a reasonable scoring rate than they are of playing very long innings where not losing your wicket is the name of the game. Any one of Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene or Kumar Sangakarra are potential match-winners in 50-over cricket but haven't done the business too often in whites for a while. If Sri Lanka bat first and Dilshan and Tharanga score quickly it may provide a back-to-lay opportunity but South Africa are a safe pre-match bet to draw first blood. Especially if we consider they have won 12 of the 18 ODIs against Sri Lanka played on home soil.
Top Batsmen
AB de Villiers ([5.0])is SA's best batsmen in ODIs over the past two years, averaging 62. Hashim Amla ([4.5]) comes next with an average of 55. Either of these will give you a good run for your money but the same could be said of Smith ([5.0]) and Kallis ([4.5]) so this market is a bit of a lottery.
Finding a top batsman for the tourists is a bit more straightforward. Sangakarra (4.5) and Dilshan (4.5) are ahead of their team-mates over the last couple of years with an average of 44.0. Jayawardene (5.0) averages 41.0 but tends to come in at number five these days so may not be at the crease for long enough. Sangakarra showed the better form in the Test series and Dilshan continues to look burdened by the captaincy, which he may well lose if his team lose this Series badly. Sanga it is.
Back Kumar Sangakarra to be Top Sri Lanka batsman @ [4.5]
Back South Africa to win the 1st ODI @ [1.48]
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