Zimbabwe delivered a commanding six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in their decisive Group B T20 World Cup encounter in Colombo on Thursday. After choosing to bat first, Pathum Nissanka unleashed eight boundaries during his impressive 41-ball 62, while Pavan Rathnayake hammered a blistering 25-ball 44 in the closing stages as Sri Lanka reached 178 for 7. Zimbabwe’s response was emphatic, with Brian Bennett (63) striking a brilliant fifty and captain Sikandar Raza (45) providing crucial momentum as they successfully hunted down the target, finishing on 182-4 in just 19.3 overs to secure top position in the group. Zimbabwe’s bowling attack proved decisive earlier, with Graeme Cremer (2/27), Blessing Muzarabani (2/38) and Brad Evans (2/35) each taking two wickets. Both nations have secured their spots in the Super 8s. Bennett And Raza’s Batting Power Chased Down The Target In A Sensational Thriller .
TOSS-
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first.
PLAYING XI-
Zimbabwe (Playing XI):
Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Dion Myers, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani
Sri Lanka (Playing XI):
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan
SRI LANKA-
Sri Lanka encountered minimal resistance during the early phases of their innings. Pathum Nissanka continued his exceptional form as he controlled the PowerPlay period after Shanaka’s decision to bat first. He accumulated 34 runs from the 61 Sri Lanka amassed in that phase, despite watching Kusal Perera fall to Blessing Muzarabani in the fifth over. While the fast bowler made his mark, Raza quickly recognized that the pitch favored spin bowling and deployed 13 overs through his four-man spin arsenal of himself, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer and Ryan Burl. This strategy successfully restricted Nissanka’s scoring rate, even though he completed his fifty in just 35 deliveries. Zimbabwe’s tactical shift became apparent as Sri Lanka managed only 86/1 at the ten-over mark.
The partnership between Nissanka and Kusal Mendis guided their team beyond the 100-run mark, but Burl and Cremer struck back by removing both batsmen in successive overs during the 13th and 14th. Sri Lanka entered the final phase at 122/3, desperately requiring late acceleration. Pavan Rathnayake answered that call emphatically, launching a devastating 25-ball 44 featuring three boundaries and two maximums. He contributed 34 runs during the final five overs as Sri Lanka accumulated 56 runs in that crucial period while sacrificing four wickets. Raza suffered in the 17th over, conceding 15 runs, Evans was punished for 16 in the 19th, and Muzarabani absorbed 14 runs in the final over as Sri Lanka surged to 178/7. Dunith Wellalage orchestrated the closing assault, contributing a vital eight-ball 15.
ZIMBABWE-
Sri Lanka’s PowerPlay bowling remained poor in this tournament with only four wickets, and it did not improve further as Zimbabwe openers Bennett and Marumani fought well in the chase itself. Moreover, basically, Sri Lanka did the same as Zimbabwe by bringing spinner Theekshana early, but Marumani hit two fours in that nine-run over. Shanaka actually continued bowling to him and definitely paid the price when Zimbabwe’s opening batsmen scored 15 runs in his next over. The PowerPlay ended with Zimbabwe at 55 runs without losing any wickets.
As per the game progress, they continued until the ninth over when Wellalage increased his impact regarding the match by getting Marumani out through a caught and bowled dismissal off a slow delivery. Basically, Burl went out with the same plan to disturb Sri Lanka’s game. He actually tried to attack the bowler who took wickets in the 11th over but definitely got out to Shanaka’s bouncer in the 12th over.
Basically Burl couldn’t control his pull shot and the same ball went off the top edge to short fine leg. Wellalage actually bowled a really good over with only two runs, which definitely put more pressure on Zimbabwe who now needed 78 runs from 42 balls. Shanaka tried to put further pressure with his slower bowling, but Bennett hit a four in the 11-run over itself, keeping the chase balanced. Raza then came into the game and dominated it further with his quick attacking play itself.
Also, first we are seeing Raza’s brave acts only. He came to bat as per the team’s need when the crowd was making noise and the situation was difficult at 98/2 in the 12th over. Regarding such pressure situations, this was normal for him. We are seeing that Sri Lanka was only a little bit ahead when they needed 65 runs from 36 balls, but Raza changed everything very quickly. As per the bowling from Dushan Hemantha, he hit a leg-side ball for six over midwicket, smashed another full ball straight down the ground for six, and finished the over with a four through cover point regarding making the target much smaller.
Wellalage actually bowled a really good 18th over with just six singles, and Hemantha definitely got Raza out at cover when the 19th over started. Sri Lanka bounced back when Shanaka took an amazing catch, running 25 metres back from mid-on and nearly hitting Wellalage, but he dived and held the ball to dismiss Tashinga Musekiwa. This catch itself helped Sri Lanka further in the match. Basically, Zimbabwe needed 8 runs in the last over and Sri Lanka thought they could win the same match. Tony Munyonga surely hit a powerful six against Theekshana with his slog sweep, and moreover, Bennett completed the final steps to finish this amazing comeback.
Brief Scores:
As per the match result, Sri Lanka scored 178/7 in 20 overs with Pathum Nissanka making 62 runs and Pavan Rathnayake scoring 44 runs, while Graeme Cremer took 2 wickets for 27 runs. Regarding Zimbabwe’s batting, they won by 6 wickets after scoring 182/4 in 19.3 overs with Brian Bennett making 63 runs and Sikandar Raza scoring 45 runs.
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