Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, 1st match of tri-series, Harare – Preview
Zimbabwe will take on Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International of the triangular series at Harare Sports Club on Monday (November 14). West Indies is the third team in the mix, and all of them will play each other twice – a total of six round-robin games – before the final on November 27 in Bulawayo.
Sri Lanka goes into the first match as favourites, buoyed by the 2-0 Test series win over Zimbabwe last week. However, looking for a change in fortunes in the shorter format, the home side has rung in a lot of changes, dropping as many as eight players – including the experienced Vusi Sibanda, Richmond Mutumbami and Tendai Chatara – from the squad that lost 3-0 to India at home in June.
Sri Lanka will continue to miss the experience of Angelo Mathews, the captain, and Dinesh Chandimal, the vice-captain, who missed the Test series and are still recovering from injuries. In their absence, Rangana Herath led the Test squad, while Upul Tharanga will lead in the ODIs with Kusal Perera serving as his deputy.
The move could perhaps benefit Sri Lanka as Tharanga is in a positive frame of mind after scoring an unbeaten century and a half-century in the first and second Tests respectively – the 110 not out in the first innings of the first Test was his first century in the format in more than a decade.
Tharanga, who had returned to the ODI team during the tour of England and Ireland earlier this year, was initially left out of the home series against Australia, and only played the fifth ODI after the series had been conceded.
Despite the missing men, Sri Lanka is a well-rounded unit with Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Pradeep and the uncapped Lahiru Kumara forming their pace attack, while the all-round options include Sachith Pathirana, Dasun Shanaka and the uncapped Asela Gunaratne. Lakshan Sandakan, Shehan Jayasuriya and Jeffrey Vandersay are spin-bowling options. The batting looks comparatively more experienced with Tharanga and Perera, as well as Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Shehan Jayasuriya and others.
Zimbabwe recalled Christopher Mpofu, Tinashe Panyangara and Brian Chari to its 16-man squad that will be led by Graeme Cremer, who was in fine form especially with the bat in the Sri Lanka Tests. In the first Test, Cremer became the first Zimbabwe player to score a century and pick up four wickets in an innings in the same match. In the second, he returned a match-haul of seven wickets.
Carl Mumba, who made his Test debut in the Sri Lanka Tests, was also called up for the tri-series. He was Zimbabwe’s most successful seamer in the Tests with eight wickets. Tarisai Musakanda, the uncapped top-order batsman, was also called up following his impressive performances against Pakistan A in September-October. Peter Moor, who kept wickets in the Tests, was likely to don the gloves for the tri-series with Mutumbami out.
Although form and personnel strength point to Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, which has its task cut out in what is Heath Streak’s first ODI assignment as coach, must be motivated to give a better account of itself than it did in the Tests, where it fought in patches but fell short on both occasions, especially against the guiles of Herath.
Teams (from)
Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Tarisai Musakanda, Malcolm Waller, Chamu Chibhabha, Peter Moor (wk), Elton Chigumbura, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chisoro, Brian Chari, Carl Mumba, Christopher Mpofu, Tinashe Panyangara.
Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga (capt), Kusal Mendis, Shehan Jayasuriya, Asela Gunaratne, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dasun Shanaka, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Jeffery Vandersay.