Neither team has won an ODI series in the last 18 months, but now have a chance to rediscover some consistency

The tussle for a (perhaps temporary) spot in the automatic qualifying zone on the World Cup Super League table will be decided in the series finale on Tuesday where 10 crucial points and a trophy, are on the line. Both Sri Lanka and South Africa are flirting too close to the line of having to pass through a qualifying tournament to make it to the 2023 World Cup and victory in this match will put either of them into the top five, and their minds at ease for now.

Perhaps more pressingly, given that there is still plenty of time and many series (albeit challenging ones for both sides) before the World Cup participants are decided, is the possibility of winning a series for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Neither of these teams have won an ODI series in the last 18 months - Sri Lanka since beating the West Indies at home in February 2020 and South Africa since whitewashing Australia at home in March last year. In the interim, Sri Lanka have lost to the West Indies, Bangladesh, England and India, while South Africa have lost to England and drawn with Ireland. For both teams, winning on Tuesday will be a small step to re-discovering consistency.

South Africa have already shown some of that in their batting and put in two good performances on this tour, despite failing to chase 301 in the first match. Their top five have all contributed, allowing them space to accommodate more bowling options lower down. One of them is Keshav Maharaj, who is now operating as stand-in captain and is becoming as important in shorter formats as he is in Tests for South Africa.

After an impressive effort in the first match, Sri Lanka's top-order blow-out in the second match did not give them a chance and they will hope for better in that department. Of greater concern might be the performance of Akila Dananjaya, who has been expensive in both matches and only taken two wickets. With spin still Sri Lanka's sharpest weapon and South Africa's biggest weakness, although there are signs of improvements, expect the series to be decided by how many questions the home spinners ask and how confidently the visitors can answer them.