Harare, Aug 29 : 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.

It also signals a comeback for veteran batter Brendon Taylor, who returns to international action nearly four years after his last appearance for Zimbabwe in September 2021 against Ireland.

In the series opener, the host won the toss and elected to bowl first. "We are going to bowl first. This is a really good wicket. If we are going to get our fast bowlers to get anything out of the surface, it's going to be early on in the morning," Williams said of his decision at the toss.

"Craig (Ervine) has a grade 2 tear on one calf, and grade 1 on the other, we wish him all the best in his recovery. Very good to be back here. The support here is phenomenal. Our team plays really well here. We've done reasonably well against them (Sri Lanka), we've been unfortunate in a few cases. We fancy our chances. We want to play positive cricket. Wessly Madhevere comes in," he added.

Playing XIs

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.

Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor (w), Sean Williams (c), Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Tony Munyonga, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu.

/IANS