Zimbabwe will be without their skipper Craig Ervine for the Sri Lanka two-match ODI series. The left-hander has been suffering from a calf strain that will see him miss out on the rubber. Veteran all-rounder Sean Williams is leading the way as the captain for the Zimbabwe-Sri Lanka series in Ervine's absence. The latter injured himself on the night before the first ODI, which is being played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on Friday, August 29. An MRI scan did verify that Ervine had suffered a Grade II calf strain in his left calf and a chronic, resolving Grade I calf strain in his right calf. The 40-year-old is one of Zimbabwe's most seasoned and dependable batters. But in the past few years, he has also sat out quite a number of matches because of injuries. His last absence was from the Test against Ireland in February 2025, as he went for paternity leave. Also Read | Fans Slam BCCI as Duleep Trophy 2025 Starts Without Live Telecast Williams had also missed the same Test with a back injury, but both of them returned to the team for the Test series against Bangladesh at home in April-May. His last ODI match was in that series against Ireland. Ervine has appeared in 128 ODIs till now, scoring 3600 runs with an average of 33.03 and including 23 fifties and four centuries. He has the additional experience of having played 30 Tests and 71 T20Is. Though Zimbabwe will not enjoy the services of Ervine, they will be supported by the comeback of Brendan Taylor. The experienced batter returned to the fold during the Test series against New Zealand following a three-year ban for corruption-related breaches. The right-handed batsman is now returning to ODI cricket after nearly four years. He has made 6684 runs in 205 ODIs at a mean of 35.55. Taylor's presence will be of utmost importance, particularly without Ervine. Besides Taylor, Zimbabwe will rely on Sikandar Raza's all-rounder services against a quality Sri Lankan team.