Sri Lanka wins toss, bats 1st v South Africa in World Cup QF

SYDNEY (AP) — Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to bat first in the World Cup quarterfinal against South Africa on Wednesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Winning the toss is expected to be a big advantage for 1996 champion Sri Lanka, which has been runner-up at the last two World Cups. South Africa has never won a knockout match at the premier 50-over tournament.

Veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was ruled out of Sri Lanka's squad hours before the match, and 22-year-old Tharindu Kaushal was rushed straight into the starting lineup for his first limited-overs international match. The right-arm offspinner has played only one match in the international arena — a test in New Zealand in December.

Seekkuge Prasanna was dropped from the starting lineup.

South Africa made two changes, choosing Kyle Abbott, who has taken eight wickets in three matches during the tournament, at the expense of paceman Vernon Philander, and Faf Du Plessis returning to bat at No. 3 in place of allrounder Farhaan Behardien.

Both teams won four matches and lost two in the group stage, with South Africa placing second behind defending champion India in Pool B and Sri Lanka placing third in Pool A behind co-hosts New Zealand and Australia.

Wednesday's match is the first of the quarterfinals, which will be played on consecutive days in Melbourne, Adelaide and Wellington.

South Africa skipper AB de Villiers vowed in the buildup to the match to end more than two decades of World Cup heartache for the country's cricket fans and shake off the choker tag with a victory in Sydney.

Lineups:

Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews (captain), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Tharindu Kaushal, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Malinga.

South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw, A.B. de Villiers (captain), David Miller, J.P. Duminy, Dale Steyn, Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.