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ODI SERIES v Sri Lanka
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First ODI:
Sri Lanka 7/271 (G Brent 3/63, P Strang 2/39)
Zimbabwe 239ao (A Flower 82*, G Flower 39, M Vermeulen 32)
---Sri Lanka win by 32 runs
"Some promising signs from the loss with Brent getting a few wickets and Strang keeping the runs down while getting wickets, batting needs a little improvement with Andy Flower batting well but not having any partners other than Vermeulen and his brother."
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Second ODI:
Sri Lanka 5/248 (T Friend 3/46, H Olonga 1/43)
Zimbabwe 4/251 off 49.3 overs (M Goodwin 95*, A Campbell 69*)
---Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets
"Ecstatic with this win, very exciting for the team. Main negatives were Grant Flower's 5 off 42 balls, but the controlled aggression in Goodwins 95* (88) and Campbell's 69* (61) got us home. Restricting Muralitharan to unflattering figures of 1/48 off 10 overs was also a win for the team. Travis Friend's bowling was also very promising, shame that we didn't see him bat, as he was next in the order."
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Third ODI:
Zimbabwe 227ao (M Goodwin 72, S Carlisle 30)
Sri Lanka 7/230 off 49.2 overs (H Streak 3/33, T Friend 2/53)
---Sri Lanka win by 3 wickets
"Disappointed with the batting performance, not giving our bowlers much to work with. The bowlers did well, until Chaminda Vaas managed to get hold of a few balls from Henry Olonga (1/58) and somehow bring them back into the game. The bowlers did well, however, Heath Streak a standout, managing a wicket-maiden on the third-last over. Needing 17 off the last two overs, Olonga was disappointing under pressure when he gave away 14 off his over."
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Fourth ODI:
Sri Lanka 8/202 (Strang 3/28, Price 2/44)
Zimbabwe 151ao (Goodwin 63, A Flower 21)
---Sri Lanka win by 51 runs
"Very disappointing batting performance again, the bowlers did their job well and were unrewarded by their batting teammates. Goodwins 60 off 40 balls was what the team needed, but it would've been nice to see him go on with it. Andy Flower also had a start and should've made a lot more of it, 21 off 70 balls being plenty of time for him to see himself in. Vermeulen's 10 off 53 was also an unfinished innings."
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Fifth ODI:
Zimbabwe 213ao (A Flower 95, Goodwin 28)
Sri Lanka 5/214 off 49.1 overs (Friend 2/58, Price 1/34)
---Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets
"Unfortunately this was our last chance to draw the series, and we lost, but it was another close match that we just didn't have the experience to win. Andy Flower was once again our only reasonable runscorer, and Goodwin, as usual got a nice start before wasting it away.
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Sixth ODI
Sri Lanka 5/217 (Brent 2/43, Price 1/33)
Zimbabwe 4/218 (G Flower 78, A Flower 74)
---Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
"Great to get another win on the board, and good to see our Flowers blossom - no pun intended. Another good bowling performance gave us an easy target, and it was good to see that our batsmen could chase it properly this time. Other than the Flowers' obvious standout performances, Murray Goodwin managed a handy 31 not out, and Carlisle was looking good in his 19 before being bowled by Muralitharan."
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"All in all, a series that was more promising with the ball than the bat, as the batsmen rely a bit too heavily on the Flowers. Goodwin and Vermeulen showed a bit of promise with the bat. With the ball, Brent, Friend, Streak, Price and P.Strang all looked quite good. Man of the series for Zimbabwe would have to be Andy Flower.
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