Faf du Plessis should recover from his sore lower back in time to take his place in SA's World Cup quarterfinal clash against Sri Lanka, who are keen to welcome back Rangana Herath now that he has had the stitches removed from his spinning finger.

In a couple of teams not short on emphatic players, Du Plessis and Herath would be vital to their sides' chances of success at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

Du Plessis's steady hand on SA's batting tiller was not missed in their last match of the group stage against the United Arab Emirates in Wellington on Thursday - when even a sluggish performance earned victory by 146 runs.

But Du Plessis is likely to be declared fit for Wednesday. As Hashim Amla said in Sydney yesterday: "I think Faf is fine.

"He seemed to be running well on the soccer field, although he missed a ball or two."

While SA have no other known fitness concerns, the Lankans are hopeful that Angelo Matthews will recover from an Achilles problem.

l Pakistan grabbed a World Cup quarterfinal berth yesterday following their seven-wicket victory against Ireland that also cleared West Indies' last eight passage from Pool B. - Additional reporting by Reuters