SL vs ZIM Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing 11, Pitch Report and Injury Update for 1st ODI

Preview:

Sri Lanka will host Zimbabwe in a 3-match ODI series which get underway from the 16^th of January. After much drama, Sri Lanka have made wholesale changes for the squad for this series. Wanindu Hasaranga, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, and Dhananjaya de Silva are the main players who will miss this series due to various reasons. Dasun Shanaka will continue to lead the side. They are at 9^th in the ICC ODI rankings and the series win here will help them to gain more rating points.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, played their last ODI back in September 2021 when drew the series 1-1 against the hosts Ireland. The responsibilities are on the shoulders of Craig Ervine who will be captaining the side. Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Clive Madande are the new entrants to the squad. They had beaten Sri Lanka when they toured last time by a 3-2 margin and will look to repeat the similar performances this time around as well.

Match Details:

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 1^st ODI

Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele

Date & Time: January 16th, at 2:30 PM IST and Local Time

Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network

Pitch Report:

It’s a decent batting wicket, but having said that, there will be more support for the spinners as well. The wicket tends to slow as the game marches and anything over 250 is a good competitive score here.

Probable Playing XIs for SL vs ZIM:

Sri Lanka

Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka (c), Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama

Zimbabwe

Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Ryan Burl, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Luke Jongwe, Milton Shumba, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara

Top Picks for SL vs ZIM Dream11 Match:

Top Picks ­– Batters

Charith Asalanka made an impressive start to his career last year. He is termed as the next big thing in Sri Lankan cricket. In his 8 ODI matches, he has scored 326 runs at an average of 40.75, which includes 3 half-centuries.

Craig Ervine knows how to pace the innings in this format of the game. This will be his 100^th ODI and he would want to make this match a memorable one. He has notched 2737 runs in his ODI career at an average of 32.58.

Top Picks ­– All-Rounders

Chamika Karunaratne has got the skills to be a great finisher. He is a big striker of the ball and more importantly, can pick wickets with the ball as well. He has scored 200 runs and has also picked up 6 wickets in his ODI career.

Sean Williams has got loads of potential to win matches for his side with both bat and ball. He is just 5 runs shy of 4000 ODI runs and has managed to pick 75 wickets with the ball as well.

Top Picks ­– Bowlers

Dushmantha Chameera will lead the Sri Lankan bowling contingent in this series. He has scalped 39 wickets in his 37 ODIs with the best figures of 5 for 16 and has also scored 203 runs with the bat.

Blessing Muzarabani has featured in 27 ODIs for Zimbabwe and has also scalped 34 wickets with the best figures of 5 for 49.

Top Picks ­– Wicketkeepers

Regis Chakabva can score runs under tough circumstances. He has accumulated 817 runs in his 43 ODI innings which comprises 3 half-centuries.

SL vs ZIM Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for SL vs ZIM Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Sean Williams, Ryan Burl (vc), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Blessing Muzarabani, Maheesh Theekshana

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for SL vs ZIM Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Dinesh Chandimal, Craig Ervine (c), Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Sean Williams, Dasun Shanaka, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Nuwan Pradeep, Maheesh Theekshana (vc)

SL vs ZIM Risky Captaincy Choices:

Kusal Mendis will be playing an ODI game after 7 long months. He averages 30.1 in his ODI career. You can take a risk and pick him as your fantasy team skipper.

Sikandar Raza is vastly experienced and can fetch you points with his all-round skills. He is a risky captaincy pick for your fantasy teams.

Player you should avoid:

Considering a lot of options in the all-rounder’s slot, it’s hard to pick Wesley Madhevere in the final eleven.

Note: Updated Fantasy teams and Playing XIs of every match will be provided in our Telegram channel if the information is available.

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.