Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe in the second of three ODIs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, on Tuesday, January 18. The Lankans have drawn first blood in the series and have gone one up in the three-match series. Being favorites at home, they will look to build on this early lead and complete a series win in the second ODI. Zimbabwe, although having ended up on the losing side, put up an impressive and admirable performance in the first ODI. They gave the hosts a run for their money in what was a high scoring encounter. The visitors will look to take the positives and bring the series back level in the second encounter. In the first match, Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first. They put up a massive 296-run total and put the hosts under pressure to chase a steep total. Sean Williams was the star with the bat in hand, scoring a 87-ball 100. Regis Chakabva (81-ball 72) and Takudzwanashe Kaitano (50-ball 42) scored crucial runs for their side and helped them reach an above par score. Chamika Karunaratne was the star with the ball for the hosts, claiming figures of 3/69. Nuwan Pradeep and Jeffrey Vandersay claimed two wickets each ensuring that Zimbabwe didn’t reach an unattainable total. Chasing a steep total, the hosts kept up with the required run-rate and remained on track to chase down the target for the majority of the chase. Pathum Nissanka (71-ball 75) and Dinesh Chandimal (91-ball 75) were the top-scorers for the hosts. Charith Asalanka (68-ball 71) chipped in with crucial runs and ensured the hosts got over the line with five wickets to spare. Richard Ngarava was the star with the ball for the hosts, claiming figures of 3/56. SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE TEAM PREVIEWS SRI LANKA Sri Lanka’s bowling was not very effective and a flat surface may have affected their effectiveness further. Of course, the fact is that Sri Lanka’s bowling is quite weak. Their fast-bowlers lack pace and the spinners also seemed to be quite easy to face without too much spin on offer. This is not really going to change in the span of a day and so we expect another tough day in the office for them. From a betting perspective, we don’t think it is a good idea to bet on the Sri Lanka bowlers. The batsmen, on the other hand, offer a fantastic opportunity in our opinion. Look at all the top-order batsmen like Pathum Nissianka, Kusal Mendia, Dinesh Chandimal, and Charith Asalankna, and check out their Over/Under line for this match. You can bet on the ‘Over’ in all cases. You can either do this pre-match or as the wickets fall with in-play betting. You can look at the Most Sixes and Most Fours betting markets for this match and bet on Sri Lanka, although the two teams scored the same number of sixes and fours in the opening match. ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe played very well and got quite close to pulling off a win. We think if Zimbabwe would have chased in the previous match, it would have had a better chance of winning. The bowling attack for Zimbabwe is severely lacking. Only Blessing Muzarabani is the one bowler that has the pace to be able to trouble the Sri Lankan batsmen, however, he went at close to six runs per over and only picked up one wicket in the previous match. All things considered, we would avoid betting on the Zimbabwe bowlers as well. Among the batsmen, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, and Regis Chakabva are the batsmen that you need to focus on. These are the batsmen that reliably score runs for Zimbabwe and they all have a pretty good record against Sri Lanka. The Over/Under betting markets for all three of these players are worth exploring. SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE, 2ND ODI MATCH DETAILS: Match: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 2nd of 3 ODIs. Date: 18th January 2022. Time: 2:30 PM IST. Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy. SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE, 2ND ODI PITCH REPORT The surface at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is a good cricketing surface. The pitch is expected to slow down a touch as the match progresses. Teams will look to win the toss and bat first on this surface. The surface is expected to assist the spinners. The spinners will need to be accurate and provide timely break-throughs for their team. SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE, 2ND ODI WEATHER REPORT Partly cloudy skies are expected to greet both sides at the venue. The temperature is expected to range between 20 and 29 degrees Celsius. No rain is expected throughout the day. SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE, 2ND ODI PROBABLE XIS SRI LANKA The Islanders are off to a great start in the series. No changes are expected to be made to their XI. PROBABLE XI:

• Pathum Nissanka
• Kusal Mendis (wk)
• Kamindu Mendis
• Dinesh Chandimal
• Charith Asalanka
• Dasun Shanaka
• Chamika Karunaratne
• Jeffrey Vandersay
• Maheesh Theekshana
• Chamika Gunasekara
• Nuwan Pradeep

ZIMBABWE The visitors played some quality cricket but we’re unable to emerge victorious in the series-opener. No changes are expected in their XI. PROBABLE XI:

• Takudzwanashe Kaitano
• Regis Chakabva (wk)
• Craig Ervine (c)
• Sean Williams
• Wesley Madhevere
• Sikandar Raza
• Ryan Burl
• Wellington Masakadza
• Blessing Muzarabani
• Tendai Chatara
• Richard Ngarava

TOP PICKS ­– BATTERS Charith Asalanka is proving his worth time and time again. His innings under pressure in the 1st ODI steered Sri Lanka home. He batted extremely well before getting dismissed for 71 runs. Craig Ervine didn’t go big in the 1st ODI as he was dismissed for just 9 runs. The Zimbabwe skipper just needs to spend more time at the crease in order to get going. TOP PICKS ­– ALL-ROUNDERS Chamika Karunaratne picked up 3 crucial wickets in the 1st ODI against Zimbabwe despite going for 6.9 runs an over. He can throw the kitchen sink at everything at the death overs. Sean Williams brought up his 5th ODI century and also surpassed the 4000 run-mark in the 1st ODI of the series. He is a big match player and hopeful of repeating similar performances. TOP PICKS ­– BOWLERS Even though Maheesh Theekshana went wicketless in the 1st ODI, he bowled quite well, and conceded only 40 runs in his full quota of 10 overs. He is still a good pick for your fantasy teams. Richard Ngarava was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe in the 1st ODI. He gave breakthroughs at crucial situations and picked up 3 wickets. He is a must-pick for your fantasy teams. TOP PICKS ­– WICKETKEEPERS Regis Chakabva put up a solid foundation for Zimbabwe in the 1st ODI, his knock of 72 runs from 81 balls set the tone for the visitors. He is expected to deliver the same in the 2nd ODI as well. SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE, 2ND ODI MATCH PREDICTION Sri Lanka are off to a great start to the series and will look to build on that. Zimbabwe might not have got a favorable result in their first outing, but they have shown great character in tough conditions. However, the Lankans, in home conditions, are a strong side and are favorites to finish on top in this encounter. The visitors will be expected to put up a great performance just like the first game.