Sri Lanka vs South Africa in T20 World Cup 2024, Preview, Time, Venue, Squads

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Sri Lanka will face South Africa in the Group D opener of T20 World Cup 2024 in New York on Monday at 9:30 AM local time (7:30 PM in Pakistan).

The match will be played on a drop-in pitch, which was used for the first time when India beat Bangladesh by 60 runs in a warm-up game on Saturday.

South Africa's captain, Aiden Markram, is confident his team can adapt to the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium conditions. He expressed excitement about playing a World Cup game in New York and believes his team is well-prepared.

“We do things together as a team early in the mornings so by now we are used to it,” Markram said in his pre-match news conference.

“If you look at it from a big-picture point of view, it is an exciting day, we didn’t think we would ever be playing a World Cup game in New York.

“It is a beautiful training facility and we will get a first look at the stadium and the pitch later [on Sunday] to assess things.”

Group D, dubbed the "group of death," also includes Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Nepal. South Africa, despite a history of underperformance in World Cups, aims to excel, with Markram feeling confident about their potential.

“I am feeling quietly confident, there are really good teams here but we feel if we find our form and play to the best of our ability we can beat anyone,” he said.

“We have put a lot of focus on ourselves and we will see where it gets us. But we are certainly here to lift the trophy,” he added.

Sri Lanka, led by Wanindu Hasaranga, also aims to overcome their recent World Cup disappointments. Hasaranga trusts their strong bowling attack and believes their early arrival in the US has been advantageous.

“Me and Maheesh Theekshana are in top five in the ICC rankings and we have good fast bowlers as well,” Hasaranga pointed out ahead of the match.

 “We came to North Carolina two weeks earlier, had practice sessions there and we played two practice matches in Florida,” he said.

“The wicket’s bounce is uneven – it’s tennis ball-like bounce – and I think it will be helpful for our bowlers.”

South Africa enters the tournament after a 3-0 series loss to the West Indies but hopes to leverage their recent matches in the region. Sri Lanka has won their last three T20 series against Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe. Historically, South Africa leads their head-to-head record, winning 12 out of 17 matches.

South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Bjorn Fortuin, Tabraiz Shamsi

Sri Lanka Squad: Wanindu Hasaranga, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka