``We are not batting well enough to put pressure on the other side. Our top order is playing well, but it is our middle-order which is disappointing,'' said Zimbabwe coach David Houghton.
Houghton is currently serving a two-match suspension imposed by ICC match referee Raman Subba Row, for criticising the umpiring in the second Test at the SSC which Zimbabwe lost by five wickets.
The hapless Zimbabweans have been unable to record a single victory in the Tests, the one-day internationals nor the two side games they played at Matara and Moratuwa.
Their efforts have been further compounded with the suspension of Houghton for the second and third one-day internationals.
Houghton said his team had improved greatly from their last visit to Sri Lanka and that they were ``unlucky not to win one of the Test matches''.
Zimbabwe came rather close to achieving their maiden overseas Test victory when they reduced Sri Lanka to 137 for five after setting them a target of 326 on the fourth innings of the SSC Test.
Sri Lanka turned the game around in their favour through their most experienced cricketers Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga.
Today's game will be Zimbabwe's last chance to record a win on Sri Lankan soil. They leave for New Zealand from here for two Tests and five one-dayers which will be followed by a further two Tests and two one-dayers against Pakistan in Zimbabwe.
The batting of Murray Goodwin has been one of the bright lights for Zimbabwe in what has turned out to be a disastrous tour for them in terms of results.
``Goodwin has made full use of his experience of playing in Australia. He is a very talented player and has a very good future ahead of him,'' said Houghton.
Goodwin who played three seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia, scored two half-centuries in the Test series and topped it up with a maiden one-day century at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday to take the 'Man of the Match' award.
Left-handed opener Gavin Rennie, fast bowler Heath Streak and vice-captain Andy Flower were the others to perform well on the tour, according to Houghton.
The Zimbabwe coach admitted that the Sri Lankan batsmen's ability to play the Zimbabwe spinners much better than his batsmen against their Sri Lankan counterparts, made a big difference between the two sides.
He said that off-spinner Andy Whittall was unlucky not to get more wickets than he did on the tour.
On several occasions on the tour, the reverse sweep shot had brought about the downfall of the Zimbabwean batsmen. But Houghton who frequently played that stroke during his playing days, said : ``It is just like any other shot you play in cricket. It's nothing exceptional''.