Match Facts
July 2, 2017
Start time: 09:45 local (04:15 GMT)
Big Picture
The Test and ODI series losses to South Africa could be put down to unfamiliarity with conditions. The Test loss to Bangladesh could plausibly be explained by Bangladesh’s rise. The group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy was not completely unexpected either. But a big home defeat to the 11th ranked side, who had lost to Scotland earlier in the month, is more difficult to explain. It appears the most compelling sign yet that Sri Lanka are a waning force in world cricket, thanks in no small part to the appalling state of cricket administration this decade.
While Sri Lanka lapsed into familiar mistakes at Galle – dropping catches, and failing to take wickets through the middle overs – Zimbabwe pounced on the errors fearlessly. Solomon Mire, who had hit only three fifties…