182/4 (19.3)
CR : 9.33
178/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.90
Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Sikandar Raza
0/3645(26)
Player of the Match: Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza (Player of the Match): "(Mindset when he walked out to bat) Well, I think the openers laid out the platform for us. When Ryan Burl went out there as well, we tried to change the momentum. Unfortunately. he got out. After giving myself 4-5 balls, I told myself that I am seeing the ball well and also middling them. So from now on, I can back myself and go for the big shots. Hopefully it flies the distance. Once I connected one, it was just to keep going and in my head, I was calculating everything. I was trying not to over attack. We needed one over of 20 which we got and after that it was just a matter of going by 9s, followed by 8s, followed by 6s. Ideally I wanted to finish the game but we will take it.
(Partnership with Bennett) I kept saying to Benny that if you find a ball in your arc, just hit it for a boundary. It is really important for him to bat through. If he stays there till the end, we can win the game from the other end. Credit to Benny who keeps doing that role really well. I think he is going to get better and better every game and I can't wait to see him get better.
(How are you feeling?) I am pretty excited with the way Zimbabwe has gone about their business. We are trying to take one game at a time. As much as I wanted to enjoy the moment, my mind keeps taking me further ahead. I struggle to bring myself back. It's a really nice position to be in for me as a captain. I will try to enjoy at least tonight."
(Partnership with Bennett) I kept saying to Benny that if you find a ball in your arc, just hit it for a boundary. It is really important for him to bat through. If he stays there till the end, we can win the game from the other end. Credit to Benny who keeps doing that role really well. I think he is going to get better and better every game and I can't wait to see him get better.
(How are you feeling?) I am pretty excited with the way Zimbabwe has gone about their business. We are trying to take one game at a time. As much as I wanted to enjoy the moment, my mind keeps taking me further ahead. I struggle to bring myself back. It's a really nice position to be in for me as a captain. I will try to enjoy at least tonight."
Highest Successful Chases for Zimbabwe in T20Is:
200/5 vs Namibia, Windhoek, 2023 (T-199)
182/4 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2026 (T-179), Today*
180/4 vs Scotland, Edinburgh, 2021 (T-178)
178/6 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2024 (T-174)
200/5 vs Namibia, Windhoek, 2023 (T-199)
182/4 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2026 (T-179), Today*
180/4 vs Scotland, Edinburgh, 2021 (T-178)
178/6 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2024 (T-174)
Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka Captain): "(How was the batting innings?) See, we had a pretty good start. I think the score we managed to put on the board was a really good one to defend. We were not good in certain areas where I think we could've done slightly better but I will take the score today. Really happy with the way Pathum and Kusal played.
(What was the plan in the second innings?) Well, the plan was to keep things simple. We wanted to pick wickets inside the powerplay. It was a bit tough for the newcomers to come in and settle straightaway. Some of my decisions were not good too. I took a gamble today which didn't work out. So, it was that kind of a day where we could've done better with the ball but no excuses.
(On getting a 'Q' beside your name) See, it's always good to have a 'Q' beside your name but we need to do well every game for the country. Yes we rested Chameera today but no excuses as I said. We need to do well in all the three departments.
(His feeling moving into the Super 8s) I feel we need to be more confident in the field. We need to come up with a better attitude in the Super 8s."
(What was the plan in the second innings?) Well, the plan was to keep things simple. We wanted to pick wickets inside the powerplay. It was a bit tough for the newcomers to come in and settle straightaway. Some of my decisions were not good too. I took a gamble today which didn't work out. So, it was that kind of a day where we could've done better with the ball but no excuses.
(On getting a 'Q' beside your name) See, it's always good to have a 'Q' beside your name but we need to do well every game for the country. Yes we rested Chameera today but no excuses as I said. We need to do well in all the three departments.
(His feeling moving into the Super 8s) I feel we need to be more confident in the field. We need to come up with a better attitude in the Super 8s."
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe Captain): "Yeah, it can't get any better. We want to keep winning to be honest. For now, keeping myself in the present, the effort the boys have shown over the last two weeks was simply incredible. I don't think so anyone gave us the chance to win everybody's hearts and respect. It's a wonderful position to be at.
(On chasing against the odds) I told the boys after losing the toss that if we play good cricket today, the toss result won't come into the equation. If we are playing good cricket then it is what it is. I bowled one over in the death and I told the boys that the finger spinners are not working on this surface. They had three finger spinners in their team and we wanted to put them under pressure. Apart from that, the way we batted was simply brilliant. I told the boys that Sri Lanka were 10 runs short. Credit to the way Benny & Tony finished off the game for us.
(On staying calm under pressure) Yes, we have trained ourselves for every possible situation. We are trying to send the right guys at the right time. The batting order is working really well. There was a time when Dion was supposed to walk out but we made a late change and asked Burly (Burl) to walk out. I walked out ahead of Dion and same went for Musekiwa after me.
(On shifting from Sri Lanka to India) We will take one game at a time. We arrive on the 21st and we will train on the 22nd. We will adapt to the conditions as quickly as we can and on 23rd, it's show time. I am really happy to take the flight to India from here being unbeaten. We will take one game at a time and if we manage to win 2 out of the 3 games in the Super 8s then you never know. I want to tell you something Pommie, everyone loves an underdog story."
(On chasing against the odds) I told the boys after losing the toss that if we play good cricket today, the toss result won't come into the equation. If we are playing good cricket then it is what it is. I bowled one over in the death and I told the boys that the finger spinners are not working on this surface. They had three finger spinners in their team and we wanted to put them under pressure. Apart from that, the way we batted was simply brilliant. I told the boys that Sri Lanka were 10 runs short. Credit to the way Benny & Tony finished off the game for us.
(On staying calm under pressure) Yes, we have trained ourselves for every possible situation. We are trying to send the right guys at the right time. The batting order is working really well. There was a time when Dion was supposed to walk out but we made a late change and asked Burly (Burl) to walk out. I walked out ahead of Dion and same went for Musekiwa after me.
(On shifting from Sri Lanka to India) We will take one game at a time. We arrive on the 21st and we will train on the 22nd. We will adapt to the conditions as quickly as we can and on 23rd, it's show time. I am really happy to take the flight to India from here being unbeaten. We will take one game at a time and if we manage to win 2 out of the 3 games in the Super 8s then you never know. I want to tell you something Pommie, everyone loves an underdog story."
Highest Successful Chases in Colombo (RPS) in T20Is:
215/5 – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2018 (T-215)
182/4 – Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, 2026 (T-179), Today*
178/6 – Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, 2024 (T-174)
215/5 – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2018 (T-215)
182/4 – Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, 2026 (T-179), Today*
178/6 – Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, 2024 (T-174)
Highest Successful Chases vs Sri Lanka in T20 WCs:
190/4 - England, Chattogram, 2014 (T-190)
182/4 - Zimbabwe, Colombo (RPS), 2026 (T-179), Today*
158/3 - Australia, Perth, 2022 (T-158)
190/4 - England, Chattogram, 2014 (T-190)
182/4 - Zimbabwe, Colombo (RPS), 2026 (T-179), Today*
158/3 - Australia, Perth, 2022 (T-158)
Most 6s by a Zimbabwe Batter in an Innings in T20 WCs:
5 – Sikandar Raza vs Ireland, Hobart, 2022
4 – Sikandar Raza vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Today*
3 – Elton Chigumbura vs UAE, Sylhet, 2014
3 – Elton Chigumbura vs Hong Kong, Nagpur, 2016
3 – Sikandar Raza vs Netherlands, Adelaide, 2022
5 – Sikandar Raza vs Ireland, Hobart, 2022
4 – Sikandar Raza vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Today*
3 – Elton Chigumbura vs UAE, Sylhet, 2014
3 – Elton Chigumbura vs Hong Kong, Nagpur, 2016
3 – Sikandar Raza vs Netherlands, Adelaide, 2022
Most 6s by Zimbabwe in an Innings in T20 WCs:
7 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Today*
6 vs Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
6 vs Hong Kong, Nagpur, 2016
6 vs Ireland, Hobart, 2022
7 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Today*
6 vs Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
6 vs Hong Kong, Nagpur, 2016
6 vs Ireland, Hobart, 2022
So, it is Zimbabwe who remain unbeaten in a group that had Sri Lanka and Australia in it. The Chevrons leapfrog the Lankans to top Group B and storm into the Super 8s, facing the West Indies, India and South Africa in the coming days. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will take on England, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Switch tabs to witness the clash between Afghanistan and Canada coming live from Chepauk.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Pritam Dey, scorer Raju Khariya and statistician Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!
Switch tabs to witness the clash between Afghanistan and Canada coming live from Chepauk.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Pritam Dey, scorer Raju Khariya and statistician Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!