After years of having nothing to cheer, these have been heady times for Zimbabweans. Last Wednesday marked one of the greatest moments in Zimbabwean sport as Brazil played in Harare, an event that the government newspaper, and indeed much of the population, is still fawning over. Victory in this tri-series a week later would not come close to matching that, but it would certainly be celebrated heartily by Zimbabwe cricket fans around the world.

Quite what it means to Sri Lanka is another thing altogether. Three members of this squad - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga and Dilhara Fernando - played in the 2007 World Cup final, so to them it may seem rather trivial. But to the younger members of the side who missed both that and the Asia Cup final in 2008, this must hold some sort of significance. Trevor Bayliss spoke on Monday of his desire to see greater mental strength from them, and this final is a match which at least provides good training for even bigger moments.

Angelo Mathews trained on Tuesday and is expected to be fit after overcoming a side strain, while Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis will also return to the starting line-up. All three are experienced players, and so Zimbabwe will know that they face a more difficult prospect than they did on Monday, when Sri Lanka's openers scored more than half of the team's total as 10 wickets were lost for 114 runs.

However the manner in which Zimbabwe fought back after Dilshan and Tharanga raced to 122 without loss will give the hosts belief that they can overcome whatever is thrown at them. Such has been the confidence shown by each member of the squad that deciding on a starting line-up is for once a difficult prospect.

Chris Mpofu was hugely impressive on Monday, using his height to get pace and bounce off a fairly even wicket, meaning the selection team may have to figure out a way to play both him and Andy Blignaut, who was crucial in the success over India last Thursday. Greg Lamb is probably the most improved player of the series and must surely come back in, but Chamu Chibhabha - the most likely to make way - scored a half-century when given his chance on Monday.

With Elton Chigumbura still struggling with the ball and the pitches becoming increasingly seam friendly, the best bet is probably to play two specialist quicks so they can look to break Sri Lanka's dangerous opening partnership early on, while drafting in Lamb - probably at the expense of Craig Ervine.

Whoever misses out will have reason to feel aggrieved, because aside from the awful loss to Sri Lanka in Bulawayo, few of the Zimbabweans have done any wrong. This match is as big as it's got on the 50-over scene for Zimbabwe since they endured a poor 2007 World Cup. Expect those who crack the nod to put up a serious fight.

Key Players

Zimbabwe: It's difficult to look beyond Brendan Taylor, who has taken his game to a new level in this series and shown a consistency that has evaded all of Zimbabwe's batsmen for some time. If he can provide another platform then that will provide the confidence for the other batsmen to support him in chasing or setting a target.

Sri Lanka: The top three have all chipped in throughout the series, but the middle order has struggled at times. Key to their job will be miling the Zimbabwean spinners, making the role of Angelo Mathews a crucial one. If he isn't fit to turn out, then both Chamara Kapugedera and Thilan Samaraweera will need to prove their limited-overs credentials.

Prediction

With Zimbabwe full of confidence and suddenly acquainted with a winning feeling, this one should be tight. But if Mathews is fit and Sri Lanka's senior players stand up, they should prove too much for the locals.

Possible Starting Line-Ups

Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Tatenda Taibu (wicketkeeper), Elton Chigumbura (captain), Greg Lamb, Graeme Cremer, Andy Blignaut, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Chris Mpofu.

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekara.

Tristan Holme