Looking at Sri Lanka's performance in the matches played so far, one can conclude that the team has still not come to terms with the South African pitches and conditions and as a result, a correct balance has not been arrived at in the bowling line-up. The batsmen on their part, are still apprehensive against the bounce and swing of the pitches they are encountering out there.
Sri Lanka's over emphasis on spin has largely led to their downfall in this tournament. It is true that spin played a decisive part on sub-continent pitches where Sri Lanka reigned supreme, but in Africa the conditions are so very different, that Sri Lanka are struggling to find the right combination.
One needn't venture too far, but only look at the bowling combinations of the other two countries in the competition South Africa and Pakistan to find where Sri Lanka is erring.
Of the matches played todate (upto April 11), South Africa has used spin for only 19 of their total of 146.2 overs (13%), while Pakistan has bowled spin for only 42.4 overs out of a total of 196.2 overs (22%). Both teams have laid emphasis on fast or medium-pace bowlers for success.
Comparatively, Sri Lanka has given their fast-medium bowlers only 45 out of a total of 148 overs (30%), relying heavily on spin which unfortunately, has not been helpful under South African conditions.
Another problem Sri Lanka bowling are faced with is the poor form shown by its leading wicket-taker in one-day cricket, Sanath Jayasuriya. The left-arm spinner has not been able to finish his quota of ten overs in any of the three matches, because he has proved to be quite expensive and ineffective. Jayasuriya's 11 overs so far have cost 81 runs for a solitary wicket, giving him an economy rate of 7.36 runs per over.
Apparently, it has been Jayasuriya's poor bowling form that has led to Sri Lanka having to play an extra bowler in Upul Chandana, thus forsaking the place of a batsman, who could have strengthened the middle-order as wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana has gone back to his former position of opener.
With medium-pacers like South African captain Hansie Cronje, and Pakistan's Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzak finding success in the present conditions, one cannot understand why Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who can bowl right-arm medium at a nippy pace has kept himself away from the firing line, when the team is short of such bowlers.
Sri Lanka has four fast-medium bowlers out there - two left-armers in an unfit Chaminda Vaas and Sajeeva de Silva and two right-armers in Pramodya Wickremasinghe and Ravindra Pushpakumara. All what they need to do is to bowl a nagging line and length, wicket to wicket as the South Africans do and dry the opposition of runs. The lack of discipline has led to them being inconsistent.
Another department where Sri Lanka has been exposed badly is in their fielding. Although the standard has dropped from what it was (not so drastically), what has exposed Sri Lanka's fielding so glaringly is the brilliance of the South Africans in this department. Everyone one of them is capable of covering ground very fast and hitting the stumps nine times out of ten, that it has put extra pressure on the opposing batsmen.
South Africa are playing so skilfully like a well-oiled machine, it seems that nothing can get in their way from winning the competition. Of the two Asian countries contesting them, Pakistan have so far shown they have better credentials than Sri Lanka to play in the final.