Sri Lanka on cusp of recording 50th ODI win against Zimbabwe

Vaas' 8/19 against Zimbabwe still an ODI world record Two-match series opens at Harare tomorrow

- BY SA'ADI THAWFEEQ

SRI Lanka is on the cusp of achieving a milestone of 50 ODI victories against Zimbabwe when the two-match series opens at Harare Sports Club tomorrow.

Of the 64 matches played between the two countries, Sri Lanka's tally stands at 49 and Zimbabwe 12 with three matches ending in a no-result.

If Sri Lanka achieve this feat Zimbabwe will become only the third country, they have recorded 50 or more wins in ODI cricket. The other two countries where Sri Lanka has a 50+ win record in ODIs is against Asian rivals India and Pakistan – 59 wins each.

For Zimbabwe, who are ranked as low as 11th they have nothing to lose whereas in the case of Sri Lanka who have risen to fourth in the ICC ODI team rankings there's a lot to play for. To maintain their status as No. 4 rank Sri Lanka must win both ODIs, a drawn series will count more or less as a win for Zimbabwe.