VISITING Sri Lanka national cricket team have less than three days to fine tune their play after a grueling 20-hour flight that saw them arrive in Harare late Tuesday having passed through Dubai and Lusaka.

Sri Lanka, the sixth best Test playing nation according to International Cricket Council rankings,  are in the country for a tour made up of two Tests and a triangular One Day International series that will also include West Indies.

The first Test is at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

The Sri Lankans were given a warm welcome to the country by Zimbabwe Cricket staffers, head of corporate affairs Nesta Vaki, national teams and cricket operations manager Christian Chiketa as well as public relations and media manager Darlington Majonga.

Left arm spinner Rangana Herath, now 38, will lead his country in  Test cricket for the first time in the absence of regular skipper Angelo Matthews who missed the tour because of a torn calf.

Meanwhile the Zimbabwean squad has been trimmed down from 20 to 16.

Axed from the 20 member team named last week are batsmen Prince Masvaure, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, off spinner John Nyumbu and left arm pace bowler Brian Vitori.

Pace bowler Michael Chinouya who was recovering from an allergy has been drafted into the side to bolster the seam bowling department.

National team coach Heath Streak said they were announcing an ODI training squad and if the players dropped from the Test side were not in that team as well they will be asked to leave the camp.