Sri Lanka to commence their T20 World Cup preparations at home against Zimbabwe

Sri Lanka will host Zimbabwe for a limit overs tour- three ODIs and three T20Is in January 2024. It will be the first bilateral T20I series featuring the two sides in Sri Lanka, and also the one and only ODI series between them in the island since January 2022. 

Sri Lanka is currently seventh in the ODI rankings, while their opponents, who have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in this format, find themselves at eleventh position. In T20Is, the former champions are placed at eighth, while Zimbabwe are at the 13th place, and have also squandered the opportunity to advance through the 2024 edition of the marquee event after finishing behind Namibia and Uganda in the qualifiers, played in Namibia recently. 

Keeping the World Cup in consideration, this will be invaluable game time for the Lankans, who are also scheduled to play a T20I series against Afghanistan and Bangladesh in early 2024. 

In 2023, when the focus was more on One Day Internationals because of the World Cup, Sri Lanka had only played six T20Is, winning two and losing four matches.

The tour will begin with three ODI to be played on January 6,8 and 11, and will be followed by the T20Is, to be played on January 14, 16 and 18. All the matches will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. 

Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka

ODI leg

Jan 6: 1st ODI

Jan 8: 2nd ODI

Jan 11: 3rd ODI

T20I leg

Jan 14: 1st T20I

Jan 16: 2nd T20I

Jan 18: 3rd T20I