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ToggleSri Lanka and Zimbabwe go head to head in the SL vs ZIM second ODI in Colombo on Monday, January 8. The first ODI ended in no result due to rain. The next two matches will be played on January 8 and 11. The two teams then play a T20I series between January 14-18
Charith Asalanka scored his third ODI to take Sri Lanka to 273/9 in their 50 overs. Kusal Mendis (46) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (41) also came up with crucial contributions. For Zimbabwe, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, and Faraz Akram took two wickets each.
Zimbabwe were given a double blow by Dilshan Madushanka in the chase as he removed Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and skipper Craig Ervine for ducks respectively and Zimbabwe were reduced to 5/2. However, the visitors were saved by rain when they had just added 12 runs for the loss of 2 wickets on the board in 4 overs. It then rained hard and eventually, the match ended in no result.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Board headed by Chief Selector Upul Tharanga named three different captains for three different formats. Dhananjaya de Silva was named the new Test captain, Kusal Mendis the ODI captain, and Wanindu Hasaranga the new T20I captain. Mendis will lead Sri Lanka in the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe at home.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be led by Ciarg Ervine. He has experienced players to fall back on as well Sikandar Raza, Blessing Musarabani, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe and Richard Ngarava form the core of the Zimbabwe side. They are fresh off an ODI series defeat against Ireland in December 2023.
The side failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 after playing the main round in the T20 World Cup 2022. They defeated Pakistan to begin their campaign in 2022 but faded out. In the 2024 qualifiers, they lost to Uganda in the African qualifiers as they missed out on a shot at qualification.
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With teams like Uganda, Namibia, Nepal, PNG, Canada, Oman, and the Netherlands qualifying for the tournament, Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the major event highlights their inconsistent run as a team. They missed out on qualifying for the ODI World Cup last year in India as well. They last played an ODI World Cup back in 2015.
Speaking about heads to heads between Sri Land and Zimbabwe, both teams have played 62 ODIs with the Lankans winning 47 matches and the Zimbabweans 12. Three matches have ended in no result with the first ODI being the latest. The two teams have played just three T20Is with Sri Lanka winning all three. Sri Lanka have won 14 of the 20 Test matches played between the two sides. Zimbabwe is yet to win a Test match against Sri Lanka.
SL vs ZIM Head To Head Records Overall Stats
| Format | Matches | Sri Lanka won | Zimbabwe won | Draw/Abandoned/NR |
| Test | 20 | 14 | – | 6 |
| ODI | 62 | 47 | 12 | 3 |
| T20I | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| Total | 85 | 64 | 12 | 8 |
SL vs ZIM Head To Head Records In Tests
| Matches Played | 20 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 14 |
| Zimbabwe Won | – |
| Tied | – |
| Drawn | 6 |
| SL Win % | 70% |
| ZIM Win % | – |
| Draw % | 30% |
| First Played On | 1994 |
| Last played On | 2020 |
SL vs ZIM Head To Head Records In ODIs
| Matches Played | 62 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 47 |
| Zimbabwe Won | 12 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
| SL Win % | 75.80% |
| ZIM Win % | 19.35% |
| First Played On | 1991 |
| Last played On | 2024 |
SL vs ZIM Head To Head Records In T20Is
| Matches Played | 3 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 3 |
| Zimbabwe Won | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
| SL Win % | 100% |
| ZIM Win % | – |
| First Played On | 2009 |
| Last played On | 2013 |
SL vs ZIM Head-to-Head Records in ODIs- 2nd ODI, 2024
- Matches Played – 61
- Sri Lanka Won- 47
- Zimbabwe Won- 12
- Most Runs For Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga-856
- Most Wickets For Sri Lanka: Muttiah Muralitharan-37
- Most Runs For Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza-596
- Most Wickets For Zimbabwe: Tendai Chatara- 15
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