With time for mistakes over, many will reckon South Africa made one already, losing the toss and thus being asked to chase in a high-pressure match. The numbers were all stacked against South Africa: they have won only once in last nine games - since the previous World Cup - in which they were asked to chase 270 or more, and only four times out of 14 in chases of 240 or more.
However, it is credit to South Africa's bowlers that they have conceded so few totals of 240 and 270 between World Cups. At SCG, though, the bowlers were up against it. For starters only four of them were selected, with Kyle Abbott getting in ahead of Vernon Philander. JP Duminy and AB de Villiers were expected to make up the fifth bowler. Also they were bowling on a flat - but hard - pitch on a hot humid day. De Villiers didn't make a big deal of losing the toss, saying his side could beat any team from any position.
Sri Lanka, though, didn't miss a chance of early gamesmanship. The captain Angelo Mathews mentioned pressure on the chasing side. "Obviously the pressure will take it to them." He also said the last-minute replacement for the injured Rangana Herath, offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, was a "duplicate Murali" and a "mystery spinner".
True to nature Sri Lanka made other last-minute changes. Both the incumbent spinners - Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senannayake - were left out. A new opener, Kusal Perera, was drafted in, pushing Lahiru Thirimanne down the order. South Africa, on the other hand, wore a settled look with Faf du Plessis' returning ahead of Farhaan Behardien, making it their strongest XI.
Sri Lanka 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 7 Thisara Perara, 8 Tharindu Kaushal, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dushmantha Chameera
South Africa 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt.), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Rilee Russouw, 8 Kyle Abbott, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran Tahir
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
