ZIM vs SL Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Jul 02, 2023
Both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will look to continue their unbeaten run in the ODI World Cup Qualifier as they face off against each other at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday.
Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka head-to-head record
Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have played 60 matches against each other so far. Sri Lanka has won 46 of them, while Zimbabwe has won 12. 2 matches have had no outcomes.
Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka Live-streaming and Broadcast
This match can be live-streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar App or can be watched live on the Star Sports Network.
ZIM vs SL Team Previews
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in this tournament, defeating teams like West Indies, and has played some excellent cricket so far. Their form has spilled over in the Super Six stage too and defeated Oman in their latest fixture.
The batting has been the main highlight of Zimbabwe’s performance so far. Sean Williams is in red-hot form, scoring 3 centuries and a half-century in his 5 innings so far. He is also the top scorer in the tournament. Supporting him in the top order is skipper Craig Ervine, who too is in good touch.
Joylord Gumbie, Wesley Madhevere, and Ryan Burl will play the supporting roles here. Sikandar Raza has played an important role lower down the order, scoring runs at a brisk pace. He is also quite effective with the ball, picking up 9 wickets.
The other spinners however haven’t been too effective. Richard Ngrava is the leading wicket-taker for the team with 12 wickets. He will lead the pace attack here along with Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani.
Zimbabwe Playing 11
Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.
Sri Lanka
As expected, Sri Lanka has been one of the most dominant sides in this tournament. With 6 points and an excellent NRR, they are currently at the top of the Super Six table and are well on their way to getting qualified.
The team will rely on its strong batting line-up to give them a winning total here. Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne will look to give the team a strong start here. Karunaratne is the leading run-scorer for the team and has scored 2 half-centuries and a century so far.
The form of Kusal Mendis is a bit of a concern for Sri Lanka as he hasn’t been able to get going. However, the team has quite a few strong performers in the middle order, including Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga add depth to the batting.
Hasaranga has been very impressive with the ball, and is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, picking up 20 wickets. His spin partner, Maheesh Theekshana too has shown some good form in the last couple of matches.
The seam attack will be carried out by Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka.
Sri Lanka Playing 11
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanidu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana.
ZIM vs SL Toss Prediction
The team winning the toss will likely opt to bat first here.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The Queens Club in Bulawayo offers a good track to bat on. The average first-inning score here in this tournament is around 265. The pitch offers a good amount of bounce and pace but for the quicker bowlers. The spinners will come into action in the second half of the match.
The weather here is expected to remain clear with temperatures between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius.
ZIM vs SL Betting Tips
Both teams have undoubtedly been two of the most consistent performers so far and we can expect a closely fought encounter here. However, we feel that Sri Lanka has an advantage here. They have a lot of depth in their batting and an excellent spin attack. That said, Zimbabwe will not make it easy for them to win.
Bet on Sri Lanka to win.
Bonus Cricket Bets
Kusal Mendis is having a poor run of form of late. He has failed to score more than 30 runs in 5 of his last 7 innings and we expect his woes to continue.
The pitch at Bulawayo is expected to help the spinners as it offers quite a bit of turn. Also, the boundaries square of the wicket is on the shorter side, tempting the batsmen to play cross-batted shots. Sri Lanka has two in-form spinners, Hasaranga and Theekshana, who are fully capable of exploiting the conditions.
Williams is in brilliant form and has scored 50+ runs in 4 of his last 5 innings. Looking at the way he has batted so far, we are backing him to play another good inning here.
Who will win ZIM vs SL
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