Lankans and Chevrons set for action after washout
Story by Anashe Murombedzi, Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Cricket team, the Chevrons, who are currently touring Sri Lanka, are set to shift focus to the second One Day International set for this Monday in Colombo.
The weather intervened in Colombo this Saturday afternoon as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were on the field for their first ODI which was rained out.
The match saw the duo of Tapiwa Mufudza and Faraz Akram make their debut for the Chevrons in the limited-overs series.
With all the excitement to play, offspinner Mufudza found a turn to finish his ten-over spell with none for 37 on his ODI debut.
At a time when Sri Lanka gave their all to set a 274-run target, all the efforts were fruitless after the match was abandoned leading to the three-match series go down to a two-match affair.
As the Chevrons were in the middle of chasing the target, the rains stopped the play as they were on 12 runs for a loss of two wickets in four overs.
The match ended without a result as the two sides now had to shift focus to the second ODI.
The match will see the rivals have much to play for to claim the series.
The hosts seem to be the team to beat as they prove to be the strongest in the 50-over format.
The Lankans and the Chevrons met on 62 occasions with Sri Lanka winning 47 while Zimbabwe had 12 victories while the other three ended without a result.
Sri Lanka has hosted Zimbabwe in 16 conclusive ODIs with the Lankans pocketing 12 wins to Zimbabwe’s four in the bilateral series.
Zimbabwe had last visited Sri Lanka early last year for a three-match ODI series and lost 2-1.
The two sides had come from a fresh assignment in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers which Sri Lanka won by nine wickets.
Zimbabwe will be riding on their remarkable performance in 2017 when they won the ODI series 3-2.
Both teams will conclude the ODI series on Thursday as they go for a two-day break to prepare for the three T20 internationals slated for the 14th.
