5 must-haves for the South Africa-Sri Lanka ODI series

After getting thrashed 3-0 in the three-match Test series, Sri Lanka fought back well against a second-string South African side in the three-match T20I series. The visitors finally got something to smile about as they defeated the home side 2-1 to win their first T20I series since winning the World T20 in 2014.

With five ODIs to be played between the two sides, starting on Saturday at Port Elizabeth, both South Africa and Sri Lanka will be looking to finish the long series on a high and make the best use of the 50-over matches as preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Angelo Mathews’ injury during the second T20I is a massive blow for the visitors as the Sri Lankan captain has bailed his team out on a regular basis during the course of the tour.

The T20I series gave rise to many stars, some of who earned up calls to the 50-over side. The return of Proteas’ ODI captain, AB de Villiers is a huge boost for the home side after the talented batsman was out for more around 6 months.

We take a look at five players you need to have in your Oye Captain fantasy teams for the five-match ODI series:

#5 Lakshan Sandakan (Sri Lanka) – 8

Although Lakshan Sandakan has played only one ODI so far, he has been quite impressive in the other formats he has featured in with batsmen finding it difficult to read him. It is no coincidence that Sri Lanka won both the T20Is in which the 25-year-old featured. On his T20I debut, during the second T20I at the Wanderers, he picked up 4 wickets, giving away only 23 runs.

At a price of just 8, Sandakan is really a must-have player in your fantasy side as he will get you wickets as well as at a very economical rate. In both theT20Is he played, he picked up 5 wickets at an economy rate of just 5.75 and racked up 145 fantasy points in the process.