Zimbabwe chased down 179 to stun hosts Sri Lanka in their final league clash, topping Group B and advancing to the Super 8s of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Unbeaten through the group stage, they finished above Sri Lanka, Australia and Ireland, a significant achievement for a side that has steadily built belief through this campaign. It was their second-highest successful chase in T20Is.
Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka appeared to have just about enough on the board. The hosts backed that up in the Powerplay, keeping things tight and building pressure with disciplined bowling. Zimbabwe were forced to work hard for momentum, and for a while, the chase seemed delicately poised.
The turning point came when Marumani decided to counterattack. He broke the shackles with a flurry of boundaries, shifting the pressure back on the bowlers. Bennett soon found his rhythm as well, matching intent with composure. Burl’s contribution ensured the asking rate did not spiral, while Raza produced what was arguably the defining knock of the evening. His innings balanced risk and control, keeping Zimbabwe in command of the equation.
Raza did not stay till the end alongside Bennett, but by then he had laid the foundation. Even when a brief wobble threatened to complicate matters, Zimbabwe had enough in hand to see it through. The result was a memorable victory that underlined their growth and sent them into the Super 8s as deserving group leaders.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s batters struggled against Zimbabwe’s spinners in the middle overs on a slow pitch but still managed a competitive 178 for seven in their Group B encounter on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka made a steady start as openers Kusal Perera (22) and Pathum Nissanka (62) added 54 runs in just 4.5 overs.
Perera did not look entirely comfortable but managed a couple of boundaries off pacer Blessing Muzarabani. The towering quick, however, had the final say. Perera miscued a pull shot off a Muzarabani bouncer and was caught by Graeme Cremer at short fine leg.
Muzarabani impressed throughout his spell, cleverly digging the ball into the surface to take the pace off and force the batters to generate their own power.
Sri Lanka ended the PowerPlay at a healthy 61 for 1, but scoring became increasingly difficult thereafter.
Zimbabwe’s spin quartet of Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cremer, Ryan Burl and Wellington Masakadza tightened the screws in the middle overs, conceding just 21 runs in the next four overs while giving the hosts little room to break free.
During this phase, Sri Lanka also lost the slow-moving Kusal Mendis, who made 14 off 20 balls.
In the midst of the slowdown, Nissanka, fresh from his century against Australia in the previous match, brought up his half-century in 34 balls. The right-hander read the pace of the pitch well, relying on quick singles and doubles before picking the right moments to attack.
However, he too fell to the sluggish surface, with his reverse sweep off Cremer landing in the hands of Tony Munyonga.
Pavan Rathnayake then provided late impetus with a brisk 44 off 25 balls. He struck Brad Evans for 4, 6 and 4 in the 19th over to push Sri Lanka past the 150-run mark before falling in the same over. The final two overs produced 30 runs, a flourish that added valuable momentum to the total.
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