Sri Lanka skipper Rangana Herath will be the man to watch when the Asians take on hosts Zimbabwe in the two match Test series that begins Saturday at Harare Sports Club.

The tourists have a proud unbeaten record against Zimbabwe in 15 Test meetings spanning over a period of two decades.

Herath, who was asked by the Sri Lanka board to lead the team in Zimbabwe in the absence of injured captain Angelo Matthews, will be looking to use his form and experience in a squad that have many new faces.

The 38-year old is regarded as a consistent and prolific spinner and is coming from a brilliant outing after helping the Sri Lankans to achieve a historic three match Test series whitewash against Australia in August. He had impressive returns of 28 wickets in the three matches. He is the highest ranked bowler in the series having secured fourth place according to the recent International Cricket Council rankings.

He has been in the game for 17 years, having made his debut in the longer version against Australia at Galle in September 1999. Herath is expected to lead from the front in with his left arm spin and will have support from offspinner Dilruwan Perera, and left arm spinner Lakshan Sandakkan.

Zimbabwe have struggled with spin attack in the past. But they have an experienced batting lineup that includes the likes of Hamilton Masakadza, Tino Mawoyo, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams. Masakadza missed the last Test against New Zealand through injury but has since recovered.

Sri Lanka on the other hand have not escaped the brunt of injuries. Apart from Matthews, vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal has also been overlooked after getting a surgery on his thumb.

Chandimal sustained the injury during a domestic match in September. He has been replaced in the squad by wicketkeeper/batsman Niroshan Dickwella.

The other players who missed out were Nuwan Pradeep, sidelined by a recurring hamstring injury, and Dushmantha Chameera, who is struggling with a back problem.

However, they have a highly competitive squad which includes as many as six pacers. Among them are newcomers Kasun Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara and allrounder Asela Gunaratner while Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Gamage complete the attack.

Kumara, 19, is the youngest member of the squad but he impressed on his debut against West Indies A in Colombo earlier this month.

Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka last played a Test series 12 years ago which the tourists won 2-0 at Queens Sports Club. There are no remnant players from that series on both sides.