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Ahmedabad, Oct 23: Still nursing the wounds of their shock defeat at the hands of New Zealand, South Africa faces a do or die battle when they take on Sri Lanka in the crucial Champions Trophy Group B encounter here tomorrow. While it is a matter of survival for Graeme Smith's men, the Sri Lankans will be equally determined to consolidate their position for a semi-final berth having won and lost a match in the Group stage. An intense contest may be on the cards at the floodlit Motera stadium with the rivals having a lot at stake as the tournament reaches a decisive stage as far as placings in the last four is concerned.
After a smooth as silk show in the qualifiers where they won all three matches, Sri Lanka began their campaign in the main tournament with a jerk going down to Pakistan by four wickets but then regained the momentum handing out a seven wicket drubbing to New Zealand. In contrast, the South Africans, yet to taste a win, had failed to come to terms with a dustbowl of a track at Mumbai's Brabourne stadium to stumble to a 87-run defeat to New Zealand in their only match so far. The South Africans face a must-win situation tomorrow as they now lie at the bottom of the pool with Pakistan and New Zealand both having two points each.
Realising the gravity of the situation, the entire South African squad appeared intensely focussed during their net sessions here. Coach Mickey Arthur admitted the need for improvement in all departments of the game to put it across the experienced and in-form Sri Lankans. "We need to improve upon all areas. It's a huge game for us. Every game is now a semi-final for us. It's a must-win situation for us and there is a lot of pressure on us," Arthur said. "However, we still hold our own destiny. And if we win the next two games (against Sri Lanka and Pakistan) we will be automatically through to the semis," he said exuding confidence.
After having lots to complain about the Brabourne pitch, the South Africans today gave the thumbs up to the pitch here. "It looks a better wicket than what we had in Mumbai. It is a little damp now. But I hope it will dry up before the match," said skipper Graeme Smith. Smith said his bowlers would have to restrict the rampaging opening Lankan pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga, the latter having emerged as the new sensation in world cricket with his back-to-back hundreds followed by a half century in the tournament.
"The key to success will be in adapting to the conditions and playing the cricket we are capable of," he said. Arthur said his side could go in for a replacement and hinted that A B De Villiers could be in the final XI. The South African batting line up, rated by Smith as "one of the best in the world", needs to pull up the socks, as it failed to fire in the opener with only three players managing to reach double figure scores. In bowling, old warhorse Jacques Kallis came good against the Kiwis, but the South Africans would be looking forward to a fiery performance from veteran Shaun Pollock and his new ball partner Makhaya
Ntini.
Apart from Tharanga, the other Sri Lankan batsmen have also struck a purple patch in the last few months, and coach Tom Moody would be hoping for some fine performances from the likes of skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Marvan Atapattu. Among the Sri Lankan bowlers, medium pacer Ferveez Maharoof pulverised the West Indies with an enviable figure of 6/14, while the wily offie Muthiah Muralitharan mesmerised the Kiwis by picking up four wickets. "They have assets like Chaminda Vaas, Maharoof, and Lasith Malinga. And not every team has a Murali," said Smith.
The teams (from):
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Upul Tharanga, Tillkaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Malinga Bandara, Muttiah
Muralitharan.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock. (Agencies)
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