Zimbabwe national cricket team stunned hosts Sri Lanka national cricket team once again, winning by six wickets to enter the Super Eight stage unbeaten.
At the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday night, Sri Lanka posted 178 for 7 — their second-highest total at the venue and best since 2018. Zimbabwe chased down 182 for 4, recording the second-highest successful T20I chase at the ground.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers checked Sri Lanka’s momentum after a fast start, while their batters paced the chase smartly on a slow pitch. Opener Brian Bennett anchored the innings with an unbeaten 63 off 48 balls. Sikandar Raza played the decisive role, scoring 45 off 26 balls when the required rate climbed past 11. Together with Ryan Burl and Tadiwanashe Marumani, Zimbabwe controlled the chase.
Sri Lanka’s innings followed a familiar pattern: a strong start, a slow middle, and a late surge. They raced to 54 without loss in the first 29 balls, led by Pathum Nissanka, who scored 62. But the middle overs stalled, yielding just 66 runs across 10 overs. A late push added 42 runs, with Pavan Rathnayake scoring 44 off 25.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers used the surface well. Graeme Cremer returned figures of 2 for 27, while Brad Evans and Burl kept pressure through the middle.
Captain Kusal Mendis said the slow pitch led Sri Lanka to protect wickets in the middle overs and target a late surge. That approach worked earlier in the tournament but failed against a confident Zimbabwe side, who outscored Sri Lanka 91 to 66 in the same phase.
The defeat also underlined Sri Lanka’s bowling concerns. Injuries to Matheesha Pathirana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Eshan Malinga have reduced strike options. In the final over, Sri Lanka chose spin from Maheesh Theekshana over pace from Dilshan Madushanka, a decision that did not work.
As Sri Lanka head into the Super Eight, the numbers point to a clear lesson: strong starts and finishes are not enough. To compete with the top teams, they must fix the middle overs — with both bat and ball.
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