In January, Zimbabwe will be touring Sri Lanka for a series of three ODIs and three T20Is. This will mark the first bilateral T20I series between the two teams in Sri Lanka and the first ODI series in the island since January 2022.
Sri Lanka currently holds the seventh position in the ICC ODI team rankings, while Zimbabwe is positioned at number 11. In T20Is, Sri Lanka is in eighth place, with Zimbabwe in 13th place. Zimbabwe has failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in the format and also missed out on qualifying for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka is using this series as valuable game time in preparation for the World Cup in June. The team also has T20I series lined up against Afghanistan and Bangladesh in early 2024. The World Cup will be held in the Caribbean and the USA.
In 2023, Sri Lanka focused more on ODIs due to the 50-over World Cup, playing only six T20Is, winning two and losing four.
The tour will begin with the ODIs scheduled for January 6, 8, and 11, followed by the T20Is on January 14, 16, and 18. All matches will be played at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
Initially, the games were set to take place in Dambulla and Kandy, but with the Under-19 World Cup moved to South Africa, the option to host in Colombo became available.
