• Match: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI Match, Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka 2024
• Date and Time: January 06, 09:00 am GMT / 02:30 pm IST / 03:00 pm BD
• Venue: R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s performance in the 2023 Cricket World Cup resulted in a disappointing ninth-place finish, narrowly avoiding the bottom spot based on net run rate. Surprisingly, this contrasted with their strong ODI performance in 2023, notably reaching the Asia Cup final earlier in the Autumn. With this recent success, they enter the upcoming match against Zimbabwe in Colombo with high confidence.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe, under a new coach and captain, enter this series without a roster of world-class players necessary to contend against top-tier teams. While they might exhibit competitiveness at intervals, their challenge lies in the shortage of top-order runs, potentially making their time in Colombo a daunting prospect both during the afternoon and evening encounters.

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Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (C & WK), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Dilshan Madushanka.

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (Captain), Joylord Gumbie (Wicket-Keeper), Milton Shumba, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Faraz Akram, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza.

Both teams faced disappointing finishes in the 2023 season but hold optimistic prospects for the upcoming year. Historically, Sri Lanka has maintained a formidable home record across all formats, especially demonstrating adeptness in handling spinning conditions, which often challenges visiting teams from different continents. In contrast, Zimbabwe heavily relies on a few key players, making them vulnerable. Our prediction favors Sri Lanka to secure victory in this 1st ODI match against Zimbabwe.

In five of the last seven ODIs at the R Premadasa Stadium, the team batting first emerged victorious. Considering this trend, it’s anticipated that both captains will opt to bat first in the upcoming ODI.

As usual, Colombo’s conditions promise some turning opportunities for the spinners, while the pace bowlers can expect movement from the pitch. A competitive score is likely to fall under the 300-run mark.

Anticipate persistent cloudy conditions throughout Saturday afternoon and evening. High humidity levels will prevail, accompanied by a continuous threat of rain and potential thunderstorms.

• Venue: R.Premadasa Stadium
• City: Colombo
• Capacity: 35,000
• Ends: Khettarama End, Scoreboard End
• Hosts to: Sri Lanka