SL eye back-to-back series wins with WC on the horizon

Sri Lanka will look for back-to-back T20 series wins for the first time in four years when they take on South Africa in a three-match series beginning at the R. Premadasa Stadium today. 

Sri Lanka broke a streak of five straight series defeats when they beat a second-string Indian team 2-1 last month, and will now have the chance of winning consecutive series in the shortest format since they beat South Africa and Australia away from home in 2016/17. 

This series will also be Sri Lanka’s last major competition before the World T20 next month, although they will face Oman in a two match series before they get their World Cup campaign underway. 

The hosts could see the return of wicket-keeper batsman Kusal Janith Perera to the top of the order, to partner Avishka Fernando, though it will be under the leadership of Dasun Shanaka, who took over the captaincy from Perera from the series against India. 

Sri Lanka will be buoyed by a 2-1 series win against South Africa in the ODI series, that temporarily moved them to fifth in the ICC ODI World Cup Super League standings. 

“We are in a good frame of mind because in our last T20 outing we were able to beat India and now we have won the ODI series against South Africa,” fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera said yesterday. 

South Africa meanwhile will benefit from the return of senior players like Quinton de Kock and David Miller to add strength to the squad that lost the ODI series.