Zimbabwe takes on Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on January 11. This is the final ODI before both teams play a three-match T20I series. The visitors lost the second ODI and need to win this to level the series.
Zimbabwe were bowled out for 208 in the second ODI. However, their bowlers led by Richard Ngarava made the chase a difficult task for the Sri Lankan batters. He took a fifer but the Sri Lankan lower-order managed to take the team over the line.
Heading into the decider, the Zimbabweans need to bat a lot better and give their team a substantial total to defend. Many of the batters within the squad do not have much experience playing ODI cricket. Skipper Craig Ervine and T20I skipper Sikandar Raza are just the two players with over 100 games in this format for the side.
Zimbabwe are placed 11th in the ODI rankings and not playing its best cricket at the moment. They failed to qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 as they lost to Uganda in the African qualifier.
After a below-par bowling performance in the first ODI, before the match was washed out, The visitors made a good comeback with the ball in the second innings.
They need a clinical performance to level the series with their experienced players needing to rise to the occasion. The African nation has not had too much success against Sri Lana. They won just 12 out of 63 ODIs against the Islanders and are yet to win a T20I and a Test match.
Zimbabwe Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka – 3rd ODI, 2024
Joylord Gumbie (WK)
Gumbie will open the batting and is also the specialist keeper for the side. He scored 30 in the first ODI. Overall, in 11 matches he has scored 325 runs. He has a chance to score a big knock for his team in the decider.
Tinashe Kamunhukamwe
Tinashe might be the other opener. He scored a duck in the previous match. The right-hand batter has played 11 ODIs and 12 T20Is for Zimbabwe having made his ODI debut back in 2018. His last ODI before this series was against Ireland in December 2023.
Craig Ervine (C)
Ervine top-scored with 82 in the second ODI. He is the second most capped player in this side with 118 ODIs. He is inching closer to 4000 ODI runs for his side including four centuries and 20 fifties.
Milton Shumba
Shumba will bat at four. He scored 26 off 45 balls in the second ODI. He made his ODI debut back in 2023 and has played nine ODIs for Zimbabwe so far. He has also played 4 Test matches and 30 T20Is for the national side.
Sikandar Raza
Raza the T20I skipper will bat at five. He scored just one off five balls in the second ODI and took 2./32 with the ball. He has played 141 ODIs for Zimbabwe scoring 4144 runs with seven centuries and 21 fifties.
Ryan Burl
Clive Madande
Live scored 124 off 21 balls batting at number seven in the second ODI. He is expected to bat at the same number in the decider. He has played 14 ODIs and 17 T20Is for the national side. He made his T20I and ODI debut back in 2022.
Faraz Akram
Arkram the medium pacer will bat at eight. He made his ODI debut in the first ODI. He gave 43 runs in the second ODI and went wicketless. Akram took two for 58 in his ODI debut for Zimbabwe.
Richard Ngarava
The left-arm pacer took 5/32 from his 10 overs and rattled the Sri Lankan batting lineup. Zimbabwe needs him to replicate the bowling performance in the decider to level the series. He now has 55 wickets in 43 ODIs.
Luke Jongwe
Jonge will be one of the pacers in the playing XI. He has picked up 40 wickets in 42 ODIs and 56 wickets in 55 ODIs. He is three shy of 100 international wickets. He did not play the first two ODIs.
Blessing Muzarabani
Muzarababi concludes the likely Zimbabwe XI for the decider in Colombo on January 11. He took 1 for 42 in the second ODI. He has been playing international cricket for the last six to six years and is one of the tallest bowlers in international cricket.
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