bwin Sportsblog - Cricket - Can Sri Lanka beat the Boks in their own back yard?

The test series between South Africa and Sri Lanka begins on the 15th December in Centurion and there is little to choose historically between these two great Cricket nations. Sri Lanka were World Cup finalists just a few short months ago but that will count for very little out here in South Africa.

Both countries have many outstanding players and strong and powerful batting line ups. It will be interesting to see how Sri Lanka approach the match on these South African pitches and so what happens in the first test may be a strong benchmark for what happens during the rest of the series.

Sri Lanka need a positive start to the series and the toss for the first test will be a vital one. If Sri Lanka can win that and it is a good hard pitch then they may choose to bat and get some runs on the board. It is always a great confidence builder to post a defendable first innings total and silence the home crowd which is always passionate here in Centurion Park.