RSA vs SL Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Feb 21, 2019

The South Africa vs Sri Lanka first test match was an absolute epic. It will go down in the history of test cricket as one of the greatest ever matches thanks to incredible chase that Sri Lanka managed to pull off. It ensured that Sri Lanka cannot lose this two-test match series and just needs a draw to win it.

Beating South Africa in South Africa is not something that comes easily and it would be one of the best achievements for Sri Lankan cricket in recent times. By winning the first test against South Africa, Sri Lanka has managed to raise the stakes for South Africa dramatically.

The South African skipper accepted it was not any mistake his side made but the brilliance of Kusal Perera that lost them the match. There is no doubt this defeat would rankle and the South Africans can be expected to hit back hard.

Can South Africa prevent a test series loss at home to Sri Lanka or we about to witness something special?

RSA vs SL Team Previews

South Africa

South Africa can look back at the first test against Sri Lanka and think they were at the receiving end of a brilliant inning and could do nothing about it. There is no doubt that Kusal Perera was extraordinary, however, South Africa also must take its share of the blame.

The hosts did not press home the advantage and open up a real gap between themselves and Sri Lanka on any occasion in the first test. The top-order continued to flounder and the bowlers were not as effective as they would have liked either.

South Africa seemed a touch complacent in their approach to Sri Lanka and that came to hurt them in the end.

Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the second test due to injury and Wiann Mulder is the front runner to replace him. Mulder is also a medium pacer that can nip the ball around and will fill in the gap left by Philander pretty well.

South Africa has been following a policy of playing four fast bowlers at home for some time now and we don’t think they are going to abandon it after one loss. Such a team composition does put some extra pressure on the batting unit and this is amplified when the top-order has not been scoring runs.

Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, and Hashim Amla are going to be under the scanner from here on in. Markram has been enjoying the largesse of the selectors based on what he did last year but he needs a big score to keep the wolves at bay. All three of the players need a big score, to be honest.

Elgar has one fifty to his name while Amla’s poor form has been continuing for a while now. South Africa must ask itself if Amla is the same batsman he was in his prime.

Dale Steyn will lead the bowling attack and shoulder the responsibility of providing the crucial breakthroughs. He, Rabada, Olivier, and Maharaj are experienced enough to come back strongly in the second test. The fifth bowler, if selected, will have plenty of motivation to push for his case as well.

South Africa Playing 11

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, PWA Mulder, K Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, DW Steyn, Duanne Olivier.


Sri Lanka

No person with any cricketing knowledge could have given Sri Lanka a realistic chance of winning the test series against South Africa before the tour started yet that is exactly what they could end up achieving. The excitement amongst the Sri Lankan cricketing fraternity and the public is palpable. Can Sri Lanka end up achieving what no Asian team has achieved?

We don’t think so.

A lot of things went right for Sri Lanka in the first test and it still required a once in a lifetime inning from Kusal Perera for them to eke out a victory. The fact of the matter is that South Africa never played to its potential and allowed Sri Lanka to pip them at the post.

The core of this team is also the same one that was thrashed by Australia just a few weeks back.

The Sri Lanka batting has been inconsistent. Dimuth Karunaratne got a start in both the inning but did not make it count. Thirimanne also struggled at the top of the order and Kusal Mendis failed in both innings.

Youngster Oshada Fernando played with a lot of heart in the second inning and showed glimpses of potential but he is too raw to be banked upon. The middle order of Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, and Dhananjaya de Silva is dangerous and innovative but also unpredictable. They can win you the match but just as easily collapse in a heap.

Test match wins come from consistency in the batting and doing the right things over a long period of time. Flashes of brilliance are unlikely to get you anywhere far.

This is why we believe the Sri Lanka bowling performance would have given the side a lot of pleasure. Vishwa Fernando took 8 wickets in the match and was troubling the batsmen consistently. We don’t think there was excessive help in the pitch for the bowlers and the wickets he got cannot be looked past.

All the bowlers bowled with discipline and Embuldeniya was another youngster that emerged with promise. As we have seen on many occasions, though, following up a good initial performance can be much more difficult when the opposition comes back at you with better plans.

Sri Lanka did what many considered extremely unlikely to happen. A chase over 300 in the history of test matches has a success rate of about 0.1%. For Sri Lanka to beat South Africa again, lightning will have to strike at the same place twice in succession.

Sri Lanka Playing 11

Dimuth Karunaratne, HDRL Thirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis , Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embuldeniya, Kasun Rajitha, MVT Fernando.

RSA vs SL Toss Prediction

The team winning the toss would want to bat first

Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.

Pitch and Conditions

The second test between South Africa and Sri Lanka is going to be played at St.George’s Park, Port Elizabeth. There are some showers expected but the forecast is good for most of the test match. We are hopeful that there will be more than enough time for a complete match to be played out.

The pitch at St.George’s Park is usually helpful to the fast bowlers but it does not have too much pace in it. Initial reports suggest that only a slight tinge of green will be visible on the surface when the first day of the test rolls around.

RSA vs SL Betting Tips

In most cases, the better team will win over a period of five days of tough cricket. We believe South Africa is the better side, especially in home conditions. Don’t let one anomalous result sway you and stick with the home side.

Today Match Prediction

South Africa To Win the Match, 1.20

Bet Tip Here

Who will win RSA vs SL

South Africa 54.2% (13)
Sri Lanka 45.8% (11)
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