ZIM vs SL, Preview | Chevrons hope to save series and end three-year losing streak against Lankan Lions
no image
43
Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka to battle each other one last time in the second ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare on August 31. While Srilanka will be looking to seal their third consecutive series win against the hosts, the Chevrons will be looking for their three-year losing streak against them.
The last and final ODI between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka is set to take place on Sunday at the Harare Sports Club, with the Lankans looking to seal their third consecutive ODI series win and the Chevrons looking to save the series in this must-win encounter. Though the hosts might have missed the opportunity to win their first bilateral series against the Island nation since 2017 after their narrow loss in the first fixture, they will still be looking for their losing streak against the Charitha Asalanka-led side since 2022. Though Sri Lanka might still be the clear favorites in the upcoming game, there are still a lot of positives from the last game that they can take from the thrilling encounter.
There were some promising performances by the hosts despite ending on the losing side, which included a decent spell by Richard Ngarava in the first innings and some iconic knocks from Ben Curran, Sean Williams, and Sikandar Raza. While these players could not get their team over the line, there were still some glimpses of brilliance shown, which had given the Lions a bit of a scare in the game.
The 1996 World Cup winners might not have been at their best in the last game, but they still proved that they can still fightback from a tough position in a match. Though there were moments where the Zimbabweans were ahead in the game, the crucial knocks from Pathum Nissanka, Janith Liyanage, and Kamindu Mendis, along with a match-winning spell by Dilshan Madhushanka, who also became the third pacer to take a hat-trick in ODIs, gave them the edge in the previous game.
Zimbabwe has not been in the best of form in the 50-over format, having lost three of their last five games, with their last win coming in February.
The Lankans, on the other hand, are having a good run in the One-day format with four win and only one loss in their last five matches.
Zimbabwe: L W L W L
Sri Lanka: W W L W W
The Chevrons have a terrible record against the Lankan Lions in the 65 games they have played against them, having won only 12 and lost ODI games against the Island nation.
Zimbabwe 12 - 50 Sri Lanka
The surface at the Harare Sports Club might be on the drier side, with pacers getting some uneven bounce and movement with the new ball and the spinners getting a bit of grip as well. However, the pitch gets less challenging for the batters as the game progresses. While the team batting first might have won the last game, it is the team chasing that has come out on top in 97 occasions in the last 189 One-day games played at the venue.
The expected temperature in Harare is expected to be hot and humid, with the temperature ranging between 27-30 degrees Celsius. The weather reports also suggest that the skies will remain clear throughout the game as well.
The two teams are expected to go unchanged after the thrilling battle in the first ODI.
Zimbabwe Probable XI: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams (c), Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Tony Munyonga, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu.
Sri Lanka Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
The second ODI between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka will be digitally streamed on the Fancode app and Website at 1 PM.
Comments
Leave a comment0 Comments