Sri Lanka will be without their star all-around player Wanindu Hasaranga for their two-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered during the T20I series against Bangladesh in July. Hasaranga, who also missed the ODI part of the Bangladesh tour, was unable to hit fast track mode to return to action and will continue to be away from the game as his team prepares to take on Zimbabwe in Harare.

Charith Asalanka will captain the 16-player squad, which includes a mixture of experience and up-and-coming players. The squad even boasts of some prominent inclusions. One being top order batter Nuwanidu Fernando, age 25, who returns to the ODI stage after making an appearance against New Zealand earlier in 2024. Another infusion of youth is Pavan Rathnayake, age 22, a young player who had never been picked for an ODI until now, but he has done extreme justice to his selection with his consistent form domestically.

The batting footprints remain the same with Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Nishan Madushka intact among a core of batters. There is also the additional experience of Kamindu Mendis and Janith Liyanage returning, along with Nuwanidu Fernando returning to the ODI fold for depth.

At the same time, the selectors have moved on from Avishka Fernando and Eshan Malinga who were both involved for the Bangladesh ODIs. With Hasaranga, the spin options of Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay will now come into play on top of a pace attack led by Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, and Asitha Fernando.

The two ODIs will be on August 29 and 31 at Harare Sports Club. This series will be vital for both teams in figuring out the ODI combinations they want to lock in for ICC events heading into the future. The two sides will also play a three-match T20I series after these ODIs.

The excitement for this series just became heightened with Swamiji Online being named the official associate sponsor.  Swamiji Online is a platform that provides Cricket ID, also known as Online Cricket ID services, that keep the fans informed about the most current cricket news and updates while they are at work or play.  With the coverage and live updates for all of the balls and all of the boundaries, I'm sure fans will be connected wherever they are.

With the team starting to take shape in Harare, there should be some excitement around a competition with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. There is a host of new names in the Sri Lankan camp who will be looking to make the most of their opportunity to fill the gap left by Hasaranga, and there will be a chance for some new talents to announce themselves. With a bit of excitement for the youth and having sponsors like Swamiji online, this is a series that should be interesting.

Sri Lanka ODI Squad for Zimbabwe Series: Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka.