SOMETHING tells me that today’s first quarterfinal of World Cup 2015 is likely to be the closest of the four. It really has the potential to go either way. On the one hand you have Sri Lanka, finalists in the last two World Cups and desperate to go one better. The team they are up against are desperate too, but in a much different way.

Since their first World Cup appearance in 1992, South Africa remarkably still await a first win at the knockout stage. Repeated failures have earned the Proteas the unenviable tag of ‘chokers’. Their dubious record even prompted a South African journalist to write a book a couple of years ago titled ‘The Art of Losing’. So no prizes for guessing what their desperation is about.

The Proteas are clearly leaving no stone unturned in their quest to rewrite history. Having roped in Gary Kirsten and Mike Hussey as team advisors, they’ve now turned to adventurer Mike Horn to give the squad some useful tips on dealing with pressure. Interestingly, Kirsten also had Horn address the Indian team that he coached to World Cup glory in 2011, so clearly he’s hoping lightning could strike twice. It’s certainly not a bad idea to bring in someone from outside the sport to give his perspective where it’s needed. But you also don’t want to broach the subject of past failures; those are best left untouched.

I’m eagerly looking forward to this game as much as the two teams and will be at the SCG to watch it all unravel. Having also attended the Australia-Sri Lanka encounter which yielded nearly 700 runs, there’s no doubt in my mind that the team that wins the toss will bat first and look to post 300 plus. The wicket has a tendency to slow down a bit as the match progresses, so anything over 300 should make for a tricky chase.

Sri Lanka will surely bank on the quality of their batsmen, particularly their big guns in Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawardene, as their bowling really revolves around Lasith Malinga. South Africa’s issues have largely arisen with the bat. AB de Villiers is always the key, but has lacked support at times from the likes of Amla and Du Plessis who are undoubtedly quality players.

If South Africa can tackle the Malinga threat without losing too many wickets, that could pave the way for a big score. The crowd factor is something else the Proteas will have to contend with. Against our boys, it seemed like 90 per cent of the crowd was backing Sri Lanka, so I have a fair idea of what to expect today.

By special arrangement for Dawn

Published in Dawn March 18th , 2015

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