South Africa will fancy themselves a sixth straight win in T20Is
Big picture
South Africa, bolstered by the return of Quinton de Kock and David Miller, racked up their fifth T20I victory in succession, and against a batting order that is struggling for firepower, will fancy themselves a sixth straight win. With Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and now de Kock and Reeza Hendricks all having produced good innings on this Sri Lanka trip, their top five is in excellent shape. Their bowling was so effective, they only needed two overs from Tabraiz Shamsi – the top-ranked T20I bowler on the planet.
Sri Lanka, as ever, need a batting revival to turn the series around. Although several of their bowlers were expensive on Friday, that has recently been their strongest suit, Wanindu Hasaranga leading the way. Big shots, sustained aggression, explosive finishes – this is what they have lacked most.
Form guide
Sri Lanka LWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWWWW
In the spotlight
Pitch and conditions
Expect a spinning pitch as usual. With showers frequently rolling through Colombo in September, rain interruptions are always a possibility.
Team news
Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Avishka Fernando, 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Akila Dananjaya/Praveen Jayawickrama, 11 Maheesh Theekshana
South Africa may want another look at Klaasen, so they may keep him in ahead of Rassie van der Dussen. Bjorn Fortuin may get another game to show what he has got as well, even if that leaves South Africa a little short of batting.
South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 David Miller, 6 Dwaine Pretorius, 7 Keshav Maharaj (capt.), 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Bjorn Fortuin, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
Stats and trivia
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo’s Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf