Grade ii

Sri Lanka ODIs: Zimbabwe faced a major blow as captain Craig Ervine has been ruled out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka due to a calf injury.

An MRI scan on Thursday revealed a Grade II strain in Ervine’s left calf, along with a chronic and healing Grade I strain in his right calf, sidelining the 40-year-old for the entire series.

In his absence, seasoned all-rounder Sean Williams is leading Zimbabwe in the two-match ODI series, which commenced on Friday at Harare Sports Club. This series marks Zimbabwe’s return to ODI cricket after their recent home fixtures, which included two Test matches each against South Africa and New Zealand, as well as a T20I tri-series.