KEY POINTS
- Brian Bennett (49) and Sikandar Raza (47) were the top scorers, while Wanindu Hasaranga led Sri Lanka’s bowling.
- Sri Lanka now face a challenging but achievable chase of 163.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Zimbabwe posted 162 against Sri Lanka in the second match of the three-nation T20 series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday after Sri Lanka chose to field first.
Brian Bennett led Zimbabwe’s batting with a top score of 49 off 42 balls, featuring five boundaries and a six. Skipper Sikandar Raza contributed 47 from 32 balls, including three fours and two sixes.
Ryan Burl added 18 off 11 deliveries, while Tashinga Musekiwa chipped in with 11 runs. Other batsmen struggled to make an impact, with Brendan Taylor and Tadiwanashe Marumani scoring 11 and 10 respectively, and Tony Munyonga was dismissed for a duck.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers applied constant pressure throughout the innings. Wanindu Hasaranga was the standout, taking 3 wickets for 32 runs in 4 overs.
Eshan Malinga took 2 wickets, while Dushmantha Chameera and Maheesh Theekshana claimed one each. Nuwan Thushara bowled economically but could not break through.
Extras contributed just 4 runs, highlighting disciplined bowling from the hosts.
Zimbabwe’s innings was a mix of aggressive hitting and regular wicket losses, with only 11 runs scored in the final overs as Sri Lanka tightened the grip.
Setting a target of 163, Zimbabwe has given Sri Lanka a chase that is challenging but achievable on this Rawalpindi wicket.
Sri Lanka’s batting lineup for the chase includes Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, captain Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, and Nuwan Thushara. The current win probability favours Sri Lanka at 78.34%, while Zimbabwe holds 21.66%.
Key Stats
Total: 162/8 in 20 overs
Current Run Rate: 8.10
Last 5 overs RR: 9.20
Sri Lanka will now look to chase down the target with a disciplined batting approach to secure victory and maintain momentum in the tri-nation series.
