South Africa finished their one-day series against Sri Lanka with a clear idea of both the team and the tactics they will use in the upcoming Cricket World Cup.
Sri Lanka, after their fourth 5-0 series defeat in less than two years, appeared to be in disarray.
South African captain Faf du Plessis said after the fifth match on Saturday night that he was "98 to 99 percent" sure who would go to England.
He said the "one or two percent" was to allow for "guys who are really red hot or striking good form".
Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga said form in a forthcoming domestic tournament would be important, while he expected experienced players like Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal - who did not play in South Africa - to be in contention.
Du Plessis indicated that South Africa were pinning their hopes on a potent bowling line-up to win matches, even if meant that the team might have a lengthy tail.
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South Africa's fast bowlers, backed by leg-spinner Imran Tahir, dominated the Sri Lankan batsmen, who were unable to bat out a full 50 overs in any of the matches.
Du Plessis cited the example of Pakistan, who won the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.
"I've been in teams that have had a very long batting line-up and it didn't prove successful," said Du Plessis.
"You can learn from your mistakes and you can look at other teams where they have got it right. Pakistan had a very average batting line-up but it didn't matter to them because they kept bowling teams out."
Malinga, who has captained Sri Lanka to nine one-day losses without a win, said at the post-match presentation: "We tried hard in the last five matches but we didn't get enough runs on the board."
- Against the odds -
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South African T20 international squads:
Fixtures:
March 19, Cape Town
March 22, Centurion
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