As Zimbabwe host Sri Lanka in Harare this Saturday for the first Test match of the two-match series, the home team will be playing their 100th Test match since gaining Test status in 1992.
From a Sri Lankan point of view, all eyes will be on Rangana Herath as he becomes Sri Lanka’s 14th Test captain and the second-oldest Sri Lankan to lead the Emerald Island. The 38-year old left-arm spinner is the only active Test player who debuted in the last millennium and is brimming with confidence after he took 28 wickets in the last assignment against Australia where he bowled Sri Lanka to a historic whitewash.
The South Asian nation have not played Test cricket against Zimbabwe since 2004 and none of the squad members, including veteran Herath, have played Test cricket against their African counterparts.
The visitors have been badly hit by injuries; regular captain Angelo Mathews and Vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal were sidelined due to calf and thumb injuries respectively while as many as three regular Test seamers, Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep have also been left out due to injuries.
Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka Test Series 2016 – Let’s talk Numbers
After a month’s break, cricket is back for the Sri Lankan fans. Beginning from this week, the Lions will be on tour in Zimbabwe, which kicks off with a 2-match Test series at Harare. Sri Lanka will be playing Zimbabwe in a Test match after 12 long years.
Zimbabwe has only played 6 Tests in the last three years and are languishing at the bottom of the ICC Test Team Rankings in 10th place with only 8 points, while Sri Lanka have already played 6 Tests this year and are placed 6th in the rankings with 95 points.
The new Zimbabwean head coach, Heath Streak will be eyeing an upsetting victory in his first game in charge but the raw talent of Sri Lanka will be tough to curtail. The home team lost 2-0 against New Zealand in August but showed signs of improvement and willingness to compete throughout the two games.
History, Pitch and Weather Conditions
The teams have met 15 times in the Test arena with Sri Lanka having claimed 10 wins while 5 encounters have ended in draws. Harare last hosted a Test match way back in August, 2014 between Zimbabwe and South Africa where the dry surface took centerstage but there were plenty of runs on offer in the ODIs and T20Is against India recently.
With spin being Sri Lanka’s forte, expect a flat surface with the seamers getting some assistance early on. There is no rain forecast throughout the course of the match with temperatures expected to be in the early 30s.
Sri Lanka
Left-hander Dimuth Karunarathne’s returns against West Indies A earlier this month have guaranteed his spot at the top of the order alongside Kaushal Silva. Kusal Janith Perera and Kusal Mendis will most probably slot in at number 3 and 4 with the experience of Upul Tharanga set to return at number 5.
Dhananjaya De Silva will probably bat at number 6 while and Niroshan Dickwella is expected to complete the batting order and will be the man with the gloves. Dickwella last played a Test match back in 2014 against New Zealand.
Herath will most probably be joined by Dilruwan Perera as the visitors are likely to opt for the two-man spin bowling attack over the unproven three-pronged seam attack.
The main question mark will be hanging on who will partner Suranga Lakmal to take the new ball with 19-year old former Trinitian, Lahiru Kumara being the frontrunner to bag a Test cap this Saturday.
Probable XI – Dimuth Karunarathne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara.
Zimbabwe
With Chamu Chibhabha dropped from the squad, right-handed Brian Chari, who made a century against Pakistan A recently, will be the likely candidate to open the batting with Tino Mawoyo while Hamilton Masakadza, the most experienced Zimbabwean batsman, will return to his favourite number 3 position after recovering from a back injury which kept him out of the second Test against New Zealand.
Craig Ervine and Sean Williams will bolster the middle order with Peter Moor donning the wicket-keeping gloves. Right-arm leg-spinning captain Greame Cremer and off-spinning all-rounder Malcolm Waller will look to spin out the Sri Lankans.
Fast-bowler Christopher Mpofu is most likely to return to Test cricket after nearly five years due to the injuries to Tendai Chatara and Tinashe Panyangara and will join Donald Tiripano and Michael Chinouya as the fast-bowlers in the team.
Probable XI – Tino Mawoyo, Brian Chari, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams, Peter Moor, Greme Cremer, Donald Tiripano, Michael Chinouya, Christopher Mpofu.
Final Say
The injury-stricken Sri Lankans will definitely start off as favourites but the Zimbabweans can be competitive and hard to beat in their own den. Cremer and his men will have to play their best cricket in order to draw first blood in the series and record their first ever Test win against Sri Lanka but Herath is almost certain to make a winning captaincy debut.
