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Sri Lanka may have taken the honors in the ODI series 2-0, but it wasn't a walk in the park by any means with Zimbabwe fighting tooth and nail and giving the visitors a hard time.
Yet, the fact remains that they have continued to struggle in their quest for wins against the top teams in recent times and are still in search of a consistent formula that can help them buck the trend. The T20 format may just bridge the gap between experience to a better extent but it won't make Zimbabwe's job any easier given their woes in the format in recent times.
To put things into perspective, the Chevrons were steamrolled by South Africa and New Zealand in the tri-series in July. Unsurprisingly, they have rung in a few changes with the return of Sean Williams and Brendan Taylor proving inevitable while pacer Brad Evans also finds his way back into the fray.
Wessly Madhevere has been left out after a disappointing tri-series and both Williams and Taylor are expected to feature in the starting XI tomorrow at the Harare Sports Club. Sikandar Raza, who showed pristine form in the one-dayers, will lead Zimbabwe again in the shortest format and as much as the hosts' chances rest a good deal on his shoulders, he will be itching for collective support from those around him.
The signs surely were promising in the one-dayers though and that is something that Zimbabwe can take a lot of inspiration and confidence from. One of the players who stood tall was Ben Curran, but the opener finds no place in the T20 XI with Dion Myers expected to open the innings alongside Brian Bennett. Tony Munyonga has emerged as a bright positive in recent times and alongside Ryan Burl, will be expected to lend muscle power at the death. Clive Madande, meanwhile, will be looking to make a statement of his own and wield the willow long.
Thankfully for the hosts, Richard Ngarava's hamstring injury in the first ODI didn't turn out to be a major one. The left-armer holds the aces with the new ball again alongside Blessing Muzarabani while Evans could almost certainly slot in as the third quick after an impressive showing in the ODIs. Tinotenda Maposa, meanwhile, also stands a good chance of featuring after an impressive display in the tri-series.
On the back of a 2-1 defeat at home to Bangladesh in July, Sri Lanka's selectors have rung in some serious changes to their T20 squad for this series as well as the Asia Cup that is set to commence in a week's time. Wanindu Hasaranga continues to miss out with injury even as he has been named in the Asia Cup contingent but openers Kamil Mishara, three T20I games old and the uncapped Vishen Halambage have been handed callups. It remains to be seen if either of them start, however, with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis forging a strong combination up top, followed by Kusal Perera and skipper Charith Asalanka. There's a good chance that either of the two aforementioned players could open with Nissanka with the others duly dropping down by a spot.
Kamindu Mendis showed promising signs of acceleration in the second half during the one-dayers and that is something he'd love to take forward into the T20 leg as well. Dasun Shanaka will not only lend muscle with the bat but will also be required to send down some crucial overs with the ball. From a bowling standpoint, wrist-spinning all-rounder Dushan Hemantha is in with a chance of featuring alongside Maheesh Theekshana while the duo of Binura Fernando and Nuwan Thushara ought to feature in the pace department. Matheesha Pathirana, who didn't feature in any of the games against Bangladesh, may have to wait for his turn despite his renowned exploits in this format.
Once again, Sri Lanka start favorites but there's a bit more pressure on them to shore up their combination ahead of the Asia Cup. There's not a lot of time left on that front either and in that regard, each of these games becomes critical. In saying that, Zimbabwe will want to get things in order themselves ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifiers and there's nothing quite like a strong showing here that could get them peaking at the right time and enter those set of games with some confidence.
So, there's plenty at stake for both sides. And after a one-day series that ebbed and flowed, it should come as no surprise if the T20Is play out in similar fashion!
Zimbabwe Probable XI: Dion Myers, Brian Bennett, Clive Madande (wk), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tinotenda Maposa, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
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