Sri Lanka beat the hosts by 25 runs to complete a 5-0 whitewash but Taibu was proud of his players.

"I was lucky to get a bunch of kids who have really fought, who have gone to the wall with me," Taibu told reporters.

"The boys have worked hard, which has really helped me as captain."

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) replaced Heath Streak with Taibu as captain on April 2 when Streak questioned the composition of the selection panel.

Zimbabwe selected an inexperienced squad for the series after 14 other players sided with Streak and refused to play.

The players agreed on Wednesday to make themselves available for selection from Friday.

Taibu said inconsistent bowling had cost his side dearly.

"We didn't bowl too well in the last 10 overs and we didn't have a good start compared to the last game," Taibu said. "But we bowled well in the middle overs."

Left-arm seamer Nuwan Zoysa and off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who took five for 23, troubled Zimbabwe most.

"I was happy that we got a good start, particularly as Zoysa bowled well," Taibu said.

"The middle period was better because we didn't lose too many wickets but Muralitharan bowled really well at the end."

Russel Arnold boosted Sri Lanka's innings of 246 for seven with an unbeaten 51 off as many deliveries.

"Russel is a great finisher and he lived up to his reputation," Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu told reporters.

Sri Lanka start a three-day match against Zimbabwe A on Saturday, and the first of two Tests starts in Harare on May 6.

"Hopefully, we'll get something out of the three-day match, batsmen and bowlers as well, and come out fresh for the test series," Atapattu said.