Brian Bennett is yet to be dismissed in this tournament and played the perfect role of an anchor to carry his bat with unbeaten 63 while captain Sikandar Raza stole the show with his amazing 45 off 26 balls while the likes of Marumani and Burl chipped in with useful contributions as Zimbabwe chased down a massive 179 runs to beat Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka batted first and on the back of a half-century from Pathum Nissanka and a good knock from Pavan Rathnayake they reached 178/7 in 20 overs which was a very good score at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
But Zimbabwe showed character and won the game by pacing the innings so well out there. Brian Bennett carried his bat with his unbeaten 63 while Sikandar Raza chipped in with a useful 45 off 26 balls which upped the ante at the right moment while Ryan Burl and Marumani played their part as Zimbabwe got over the line and finish on top of Group B with 7 points ahead of Sri Lanka who finish second with 6 points.
Pathum Nissanka & Pavan Rathnayake’s blistering knocks takes Sri Lanka to 178/7
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera came out to open for Sri Lanka while Sikandar Raza had ball in hand for Zimbabwe. The Sri Lankan openers got off to a rolicking start courtesy of Pathum Nissanka who just continues his rich vein of form and Kusal Perera played his shots as well as the home team looked to maximise the powerplay. The duo went at a rampaging rate and put on 54 for the first wicket inside 5 overs before Kusal Perera fell for 22 off 14 balls with 4 fours to his name to Blessing Muzarabani. Kusal Mendis the keeper batter came out to bat next.
The powerplay score for Sri Lanka was 61/1 in 6 overs. Kusal Mendis struggled for timing today as the pitch was a new ball pitch as it slowed down as the game progresses. Nissanka who started well also slowed down a bit because of the conditions as the Chevrons pulled things back a little. Nissanka though was doing the bulk of the scoring. Mendis just hung in there. The duo added 46 runs for the second wicket before Mendis fell for 14 off 20 balls to Ryan Burl as the batter was stumped by the turn.
Pavan Rathnayake came out to bat to join Nissanka in the middle who had already completed his fifty and looked good out there. But the duo could add only 8 runs to the score before Nissanka fell for a well made 62 off 41 balls with 8 fours to his name to Graeme Cremer. Kamindu Mendis came out to bat next. Rathnayake took charge now after Nissanka fell while the new batters took their time to settle in.
The duo of Rathnayake and Kamindu added 15 runs for the 4th wicket before Kamindu fell for 7 off 5 balls with one boundary to his name to Cremer. Captain Dasun Shanaka came out to bat next. Rathnayake impressed one and all as he held the innings in the middle overs and the end and also was doing bulk of the scoring. Rathnayake and Shanaka added 19 runs for the 5th wicket before Shanaka fell for 6 off 7 balls to Blessing Muzarabani. Dunith Wellalage came out to bat next. Rathnayake then upped the ante while Wellalage was a spectator from the other end.
Rathnayake and Wellalage forged a partnership as they added 22 runs for the 6th wicket before Rathnayake fell for a well-made 44 off 25 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Brad Evans. Dushan Hemantha came out to bat next. Hemantha came and went first ball for a golden duck as Evans finished with 2 wickets in 2 balls. Maheesh Theekshana came out to bat next with an over to spare.
Wellalage faced the last over bowled by Muzarabani and added a few lusty blows which was valuable for the batting side 14 runs came off the last over all from Wellalage. Wellalage remained unbeaten on 15 off 8 balls with 3 fours to his name while Theekshana finished unbeaten on 0 off 0 balls. Sri Lanka finished with a competitive 178/7 in 20 overs with 8 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a decent bowling performance by Zimbabwe. Graeme Cremer finished with 2/27 in 4 overs. Blessing Muzabani finished with 2/38 in 4 overs. Brad Evans finished with 2/35 in 3 overs. Ryan Burl finished with 1/16 in 2 overs. Sikandar Raza finished with 0/36 in 4 overs. Wellington Masakadza finished with 0/23 in 3 overs. This meant Zimbabwe needed 179 runs to win off 20 overs.
Brian Bennett & Sikandar Raza star as Zimbabwe script a famous win in Colombo
Chasing 179 for the win, Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani came out to open for Zimbabwe while Dilshan Madushanka had ball in hand for Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe openers got off to a racing start much like their Sri Lankan counterparts and they paced the innings beautifully. The duo added 55 runs in the first powerplay with Marumani playing the role of the aggressor while Bennett’s role was to play through the innings. The duo carried on after that. Things slowed down a tad after the middle phase but Zimbabwe kept at it.
The duo put on 69 for the first wicket before Marumani fell for 34 off 26 balls with 5 fours and one six to his name to Dunith Wellalage. Ryan Burl came out to bat next and he too kept the momentum going. Bennett was told to just hang in there and he did his bit by playing his shots here and there. The duo added 29 runs for the second wicket before Burl fell for 23 off 12 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name to Dasun Shanaka.
Captain Sikandar Raza came out to bat next. Raza took time to settle in but then went berserk as well. Bennett was doing well and then something clicked after 14 overs. After the Drinks Break, Raza went absolutely ballistic in the 15th over as he smashed 20 runs off the over to change the game. Thereafter, it was in Zimbabwe’s radar and they had to hold their nerves to get over the line. The duo of Bennett and Raza took the game away from the opposition as they put on 69 runs for the 4th wicket.
Raza was cramping up and showed his class before the captain fell to Hemantha for 45 off 26 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Tashinga Musekiwa came out to bat next. Musekiwa came and went early for 1 off 2 balls to Hemantha as Shanaka took a blinder of a catch. Tony Munyonga came out to bat next.
With 8 needed off 6 balls, Munyonga struck a maximum to seal the contest and then Bennett hit the winning runs. Bennett remained unbeaten and carried his bat with 63 runs off 48 balls with 8 fours to his name as he is yet to be dismissed in this tournament. Munyonga was unbeaten on 8 off 3 balls with a maximum to his name as Zimbabwe finished with 182/4 in 20 overs. 8 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a tough day for the Sri Lankan bowlers. Dushan Hemantha finished with 2/36 in 4 overs. Dunith Wellalage finished with 1/27 in 4 overs. Dasun Shanaka finished with 1/26 in 3 overs. Maheesh Theekshana finished with 0/47 in 3.3 overs. Pramod Madushan finished with 0/23 in 2 overs. Dilshan Madushanka finished with 0/20 in 3 overs. So, Zimbabwe win this game by 6 wickets with 3 balls to spare. Sikandar Raza the captain of Zimbabwe was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
So, Zimbabwe with this win stays unbeaten and finish at the top of Group B while Sri Lanka finished second but both are through to the Super 8s. One more match to come to close out Group D and it is a proper dead rubber from Chennai as Afghanistan takes on Canada. Let’s see how this game pans out now.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: Zimbabwe Gets Off To A Solid Start In Big Chase.