Sri Lanka vs. South Africa: What Proteas Fans Want to See in T20 Series

After getting thoroughly hammered in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, South Africa switch gears to the shortest format of the game. They have a new captain and a few new faces in the team. 

The ODI series was, to put it mildly, a disaster. Sri Lanka is a tough place to tour, but South Africa hardly looked like they were even able to compete. The T20 format might give them a better chance. It's certainly no lottery and the pressure is on the visitors to perform.

Long-suffering Proteas fans will have some expectations for the T20 series. They won't be big expectations, but there will be some. What do they want to see? We take a guess. 

South Africa Actually Winning a Game

Winning is a nice feeling. South Africa's supporters have gotten used to that winning feeling with the Test team, but they've been somewhat neglected by the Proteas in the shorter format.

A solitary win will do for the fans in this series. The more wins, the better—but Proteas fans will probably take anything they can get. 

There are three T20s for the Proteas to try to salvage something positive. A series win would be extraordinary, but it's highly unlikely. 

Quinton de Kock Scoring Some Runs

Last year, Quinton de Kock was hailed as the best thing since sliced bread. He was being compared to players such as Mark Boucher and everybody was clutching at straws for parallels. He's not quite lived up to that hype.

There's no doubt De Kock is talented. He does have a bright future, but he needs to learn to build an innings first. To do that, he needs to play some more first-class cricket. That's not going to happen just yet, though.

Selectors have decided to persist with the young gloveman, who was so emphatic in the domestic competition last year.  

Some runs on the board for the youngster will be a good start to repay the selectors' and fans' faith, even though a number of those fans wanted him dropped from the one-day team just a few days ago.

David Wiese to Make His Mark

David Wiese is the only new cap in the Proteas squad. He is a brutal all-rounder who can hit the ball miles and chip in with a couple of wickets when it matters.

New faces in the side always offer a bit of excitement, especially when those new faces did very well in domestic cricket. 

Many will remember Wiese for his crushing 61 off 28 in the Champions League T20 semi-final last year. His strike rate in T20s sits at a thundering 172.6.

When it comes to power hitting, Wiese has certainly got it. He might have to contend with David Miller for a place in the side, but his bowling ability might pip him to the spot, if it comes down to that. 

Faf du Plessis' Captaincy Skills

Back in their school days, Faf du Plessis was picked as captain ahead of AB de Villiers. De Villiers always looked the more likely to make it to elite level first. Du Plessis got there eventually and took over the role of leader from De Villiers last year.

De Villiers has struggled to captain in the one-day format and many South African fans feel that Du Plessis should lead the side there too. T20 requires some delicate tactical decisions and some innovative moves. 

De Villiers hasn't shown any of that, and although Du Plessis has been tested in the role before, this is his first challenge away from home. Anything innovative will no doubt be welcomed by the Proteas faithful.

No More Hundreds from Sri Lanka

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara tormented the South Africans in the one-day series. It's never nice to wish failure on someone, but Proteas fans are probably sick of the sight of these two men scoring hundreds.

Both players are in stellar form, though, and those fans who can't handle any more torture should probably close their eyes now. 

Meanwhile, the neutrals—and the Sri Lankan fans—can sit back and enjoy some fine batting with two batsmen who are making the most of their home-ground advantage.