Zimbabwe crashed to another nervy crushing loss against Sri Lanka to lose the second ODI by 5 wickets with 3 balls to spare as the visitors clinched the 2-match ODI series 2-0. While there were positives for both sides more for Sri Lanka than Zimbabwe of course, there were areas where Zimbabwe missed out and failed to close the deal yet again in a close game. We will try and list three reasons why Zimbabwe lost this game as well.
Inability to convert starts to big scores pegs Zimbabwe back.
Zimbabwe were put into bat by Sri Lanka and the Chevrons got off to a decent start unlike the first game. There were starts by certain players, but the most important thing is no one got a big hundred to set things up. Most of the batters got to 20s and 30s and got out which does not quite work in ODIs. In the One-day format, if you are a top order batter, you need to convert starts into big scores.
Ben Curran played really well and showed great promise for his 79 opening the batting. With the pitch showing little demons, he should have or rather was expected to convert it into a big hundred because that is what top order batters do in ODIs. But he fell for 79 which was no doubt a good knock but could have been better. There were 20s from Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor, and captain Sean Williams but nobody kicked on to get a significant score.
Sikandar Raza did well with a flourish of 59 off 55 balls while Clive Madande played well for his 36 off 36 balls as these players bat lower down the order. But the top order didn’t kick on and it meant Zimbabwe got a good score of 277/7 but maybe were 10-15 short of a winning score. Whenever, Zimbabwe next plays ODI cricket, they must learn to convert starts into big scores something Pathum Nissanka showed in the chase. They will learn as they are an evolving team.
Lack of planning against Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka hurt Zimbabwe a lot.
While defending 277, Zimbabwe tried hard and got rid of Nuwanidu Fernando and Kusal Mendis relatively early. But they could not find out or dismiss Pathum Nissanka who is a consistent run-getter for Sri Lanka. Nissanka stepped up and almost played till the end as Zimbabwe had less or no ideas as to how to dismiss him. He got able support from Sadeera Samarawickrama who made 31 himself to keep Sri Lanka on track for the win. Some loose balls were also bowled as well.
But the clincher was the partnership Nissanka had with captain Charith Asalanka. Asalanka walked in with score at 146/3 in 30.1 overs as the visitors needed 132 runs in the last 20 overs and the situation was tailor-made for him. Asalanka and Nissanka just played the ball on the merit and took the game away with a 90-run stand off 87 balls. Nissanka was great and converted his knock into a big hundred and almost played till the end. Even after Nissanka got out, Asalanka stepped up with his magnificent 71 off 61 balls and took his side over the line.
Zimbabwe just were short of ideas against this duo and allowed the game to drift. Although they did try to create artificial excitement towards the back-end, the Lankans were always in control of the chase. Going forward, Zimbabwe needs to look at wicket-taking bowlers and see how they shape up against their opponents. Containing only does not help and Zimbabwe needs to perform as a unit in order to do well against stronger sides.
Blessing Muzarabani having a lacklustre day hurts Zimbabwe a lot.
Zimbabwe needed their bowling unit to perform well as a unit. While the likes of Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans did a job by taking 2 wickets apiece and keeping things under check, the performance of Blessing Muzarabani must have concerned Zimbabwe fans. The fast bowler who is a key bowler and one of the spearheads of this attack had a rare off day as he went wicketless and conceded a lot of runs. Muzarabani bowled 8.3 overs and gave away 54 runs without taking a wicket.
These kinds of returns are unacceptable for the stature of bowler Muzarabani is. He is expected to do a lot better and be a wicket-taker for his side. Instead, he leaked runs and went wicketless whereas his new ball partners bowled decently and got the breakthroughs to keep their side’s slim hopes alive. Had Muzarabani also stepped up to the plate, the Lankans might have been put under more pressure and the result of the game could have been different. Muzarabani has been guilty of being inconsistent.
Going forward, Muzarabani needs to find the right lines and lengths consistently and believe in consistency. If he can sort this problem out, he could turn out to be a great bowler for Zimbabwe going forward. He already has the ingredients and just needs to hone his skills to do well and be a consistent performer for the Chevrons going forward in ODIs.
What Lies Ahead.
The 2-match ODI series is done and dusted and now we move on to the shortest format of the game. Sri Lanka won the ODI series 2-0 and will carry the confidence into this series as a preparation for Asia Cup 2025. The first of three T20IS takes place at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday 3rd September at 5 PM IST. Zimbabwe will look to take the positives from the ODIs and do well in the T20I series that follows next.
Who will draw first blood in the T20I series come Wednesday between the two teams? Only time will tell as the two nations come back to lock horns on Wednesday.
Also Read: ZIM VS SL: 3 Reasons For Zimbabwe’s Heart-Breaking Loss In 1st ODI.