Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe tri-series final preview
When India and Sri Lanka headed to Zimbabwe for an ODI tri-series against that nation, few would have predicted the hosts would feature in the final.
Tomorrow, however, a cricket team that is seeking to emerge from a difficult first decade of the century, will play Sri Lanka in the deciding match of the series and could feasibly find themselves celebrating a momentous series victory over two Test nations.
Just to put things in perspective, India and Sri Lanka didn’t send full-strength squads to the troubled African nation for this competition.
The Sri Lankan side that takes to the field for the final in Harare will be without the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan with none of those five stars even getting on the plane for the series.
With so many big names rested, Tillakaratne Dilshan made his ODI captaincy debut for Sri Lanka in this series.
Despite taking on depleted opposition teams, Zimbabwe will enter the final brimming with confidence after defeating India – admittedly without regular captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan among their number – in the opening and fourth matches of the series, and Sri Lanka in the dead rubber that was the sixth match of the series.
The key to Zimbabwe’s team success so far has been the form of opener Brendan Taylor (pictured), who has snared three man-of-the-match awards in Zimbabwe’s four matches in the series.
The 24-year-old veteran of 101 ODIs racked up the highest total of his career in Zimbabwe’s most recent match against Sri Lanka, an unbeaten 119 from 137 balls, that followed on from scores of 81 and 74 in his side’s two matches against India during the series.
He’s not the only Zimbabwean capable of racking up runs when he gets going either, with Chamu Chibhabha (58) and Tatenda Taibu (42 not out) providing able support to Taylor as he passed the century mark in the team’s most recent match against Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe’s results in the series so far are tangible proof that a team that suspended itself from Test matches as a result of poor performances back in 2006 is at least now headed in the right direction, and victory in tomorrow’s final would further instil that belief in the players.
However, just as Bangladesh’s Test victories over a West Indies side that was crippled by industrial disputes last year must be read in the context of who wasn’t in the Caribbean team’s XI for those matches, so too should Zimbabwe’s success here.
Tags: