Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Prediction

If SL Bat First

Predicted Score: Around 400

In the absence of Chandimal and Mathews, Sri Lanka's batting is going to rely mainly on Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis and Kaushal Silva who had big knocks against Australia. The three seem to be in good form at the moment and if they continue to bat like they did in the previous test series, the visitors won't have much problems reaching the predicting score. Kusal Mendis could be the standout batsmen for Sri Lanka in this match.

The absence of Zimbabwean quicks Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara will make life a lot easier for the Sri Lankan batsmen. So Michael Chinouya and Donald Tiripano will have to take the responsibility to make the new ball count and pick up the early wickets. Skipper Graeme Cremer will have a huge role to play later on. The Legspinner has taken eight wickets in three matches at this ground and he will need to be at his best for restricting the tourists to a manageable total.

Zim vs SL Betting Odds

Zimbabwe suffered a 0-2 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand at home in their previous test series. They were soundly beaten and this has left them as distant outsiders at 8.6 with 1xbet and 8.50 with bet365. Sri Lanka, unsurprisingly, are strong favorites to win this match at 1.45 and 1.36 respectively. A draw is up at 4.5 and 4.75.

Zim vs SL Prediction

Sri Lanka hold a 100% win record over Zimbabwe in tests. A total of 15 matches have been played between the two teams with the former winning 10 of them and the rest ending in a draw. Though the latter do have the advantage of playing in their conditions, their record at Harare isn't going to bother the opposition much. They have played 32 tests here with 16 losses, 8 wins and as many draws.

The last ten matches at Harare have all produced results and it has been thirteen years since the venue last saw a drawn game. So the chances of this match ending in a stalemate are not much. Moreover, Zimbabwe will have to bat out of their skins for this which again is an unlikely outcome.

Sri Lanka will miss the services of Mathews and Chandimal, but they are still a superior side to Zimbabwe and we predict them to win this opening game of their tour.