84/5 (14.2)
CR : 5.86
80/10 (17.4)
CR : 4.53
Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Sikandar Raza
3/112(7)
7:45 PM IST, 4:15 PM Local Time: That’s it. Zimbabwe keep the series alive. A convincing victory for them at Harare Sports Club as they beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets to force the series to a decider. The things were set up nicely by their bowlers before their batters stepped up and took them across the line to level the series.
Chasing a modest total of 81, Zimbabwe got off to a shaky start. Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Tadiwanashe Marumani (17) and Sean Williams (0) in the fourth over. In his next, he sent back Sikandar Raza (2) as Zimbabwe finished the powerplay on 29/3. Brian Bennett at the top of the order got a life on 16 but failed to pounce on the opportunity as he fell on 19 in the 10th over.
Ryan Burl was joined by Tony Munyonga (3) who was trapped right in front of the stumps by Maheesh Theekshana. Burl (20*) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21*) remained unbeaten and made sure that there were no more hiccups in the chase as Zimbabwe chased down the total in 14.2 overs with five wickets in hand. Chameera bowled with a lot of heart and registered figures of 3/19 but it went in vain as there weren't enough runs on the board.
They say you don’t win a game in the powerplay. But you definitely lose a game in the powerplay. That’s what happened with Sri Lanka today. After being inserted to bat, their top order was blown away inside the powerplay. Things went worse for them as half of their side was back in the hut in the seventh over with only 38 on the board.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (18) and Dasun Shanaka (15) tried to resurrect the innings but fell at the wrong time. Zimbabwe made sure that they wrapped up the Lankan innings quickly. Sri Lanka failed to play out their full quota of 20 overs, getting bundled out on 80 in just 17.4 overs. This was their second-lowest total in T20Is.
It was a complete performance from the Zimbabwean bowlers. Brad Evans (3/15), skipper Sikandar Raza (3/11), Blessing Muzarabani (2/14) and Sean Williams (1/19) were the wicket-takers for the hosts. The batters then chased down the total in the 15th over to level the series and force it to a decider.
Chasing a modest total of 81, Zimbabwe got off to a shaky start. Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Tadiwanashe Marumani (17) and Sean Williams (0) in the fourth over. In his next, he sent back Sikandar Raza (2) as Zimbabwe finished the powerplay on 29/3. Brian Bennett at the top of the order got a life on 16 but failed to pounce on the opportunity as he fell on 19 in the 10th over.
Ryan Burl was joined by Tony Munyonga (3) who was trapped right in front of the stumps by Maheesh Theekshana. Burl (20*) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21*) remained unbeaten and made sure that there were no more hiccups in the chase as Zimbabwe chased down the total in 14.2 overs with five wickets in hand. Chameera bowled with a lot of heart and registered figures of 3/19 but it went in vain as there weren't enough runs on the board.
They say you don’t win a game in the powerplay. But you definitely lose a game in the powerplay. That’s what happened with Sri Lanka today. After being inserted to bat, their top order was blown away inside the powerplay. Things went worse for them as half of their side was back in the hut in the seventh over with only 38 on the board.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (18) and Dasun Shanaka (15) tried to resurrect the innings but fell at the wrong time. Zimbabwe made sure that they wrapped up the Lankan innings quickly. Sri Lanka failed to play out their full quota of 20 overs, getting bundled out on 80 in just 17.4 overs. This was their second-lowest total in T20Is.
It was a complete performance from the Zimbabwean bowlers. Brad Evans (3/15), skipper Sikandar Raza (3/11), Blessing Muzarabani (2/14) and Sean Williams (1/19) were the wicket-takers for the hosts. The batters then chased down the total in the 15th over to level the series and force it to a decider.
Biggest wins for Zimbabwe in T20Is against full-members (by balls remaining):
34 balls vs Sri Lanka, Harare, 2025, Today*
20 balls vs Ireland, Bready, 2019
12 balls vs Ireland, Harare, 2023
34 balls vs Sri Lanka, Harare, 2025, Today*
20 balls vs Ireland, Bready, 2019
12 balls vs Ireland, Harare, 2023
Biggest wins for Zimbabwe in T20Is (by balls remaining):
90 balls vs Mozambique, Nairobi, 2024
56 balls vs Tanzania, Windhoek, 2023
38 balls vs UAE, Sylhet, 2014
36 balls vs Nigeria, Windhoek, 2023
34 balls vs Sri Lanka, Harare, 2025, Today*
90 balls vs Mozambique, Nairobi, 2024
56 balls vs Tanzania, Windhoek, 2023
38 balls vs UAE, Sylhet, 2014
36 balls vs Nigeria, Windhoek, 2023
34 balls vs Sri Lanka, Harare, 2025, Today*
Time for the post-match presentation.
Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka Captain): “I think simply lost more wickets in the powerplay. That’s not the start we wanted.
When I was going to batting, I thought 130-140 would be a good score. But I agree the pitch is not one of the best of the pitches.
The boys tried really hard but in this format, 80 is not enough."
When I was going to batting, I thought 130-140 would be a good score. But I agree the pitch is not one of the best of the pitches.
The boys tried really hard but in this format, 80 is not enough."
Player of the Match: Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza (Player of the Match & Zimbabwe Captain): “Yeah, very chuffed. We were close to playing good cricket. The reward is that cricket pays you back. Good to be on the other side of the result.
Suddenly, everyone has breathed a sigh of relief. We weren’t panicking but we were upset with the last results. This win will give us confidence and in the areas we want to improve.
Suddenly, the good thing with this group is that we never doubted their ability. Blessing and Maposa have been professional. Ngarava is leading this attack brilliantly and it was good to see them get the wickets.
I think we will enjoy for the next 20 or odd minutes because we deserve it after winning today. But we have to move on and have to be better tomorrow to clinch the series. We will give it everything and try and win the series."
Suddenly, everyone has breathed a sigh of relief. We weren’t panicking but we were upset with the last results. This win will give us confidence and in the areas we want to improve.
Suddenly, the good thing with this group is that we never doubted their ability. Blessing and Maposa have been professional. Ngarava is leading this attack brilliantly and it was good to see them get the wickets.
I think we will enjoy for the next 20 or odd minutes because we deserve it after winning today. But we have to move on and have to be better tomorrow to clinch the series. We will give it everything and try and win the series."
That brings an end to our coverage of this game. The series is levelled at 1-1 and it's all to play for tomorrow. Do join us for the decider tomorrow. Until then, it's a good bye from me, Akshay Bhide, scorer Paras Yadav and statistician Aman.