Sri Lanka Beat Zimbabwe by 4 Wickets in Close First T20I

Sri Lanka emerged the victor in a nail-biting first T20I with Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club by 4 wickets and 5 balls to spare. It was a slugger of a game in which some massive hits, wickets, and instances of spectators sitting on the margins were made.

Zimbabwe Post Competitive Total

When Zimbabwe batted first, it had a good total of 175/7 in 20 overs, and it was reached largely due to the magnificent performance of a player called Brian Bennett. The opener made 81 out of 57 balls to the board that had 12 boundaries. 28 of 22 were with skipper Sikandar Raza, and 17 with Ryan Burl.

In Sri Lanka, Dushmantha Chameera was the most successful with the ball, hitting 3/30 in 4 overs, and Maheesh Theekshana and Dushan Hemantha took one wicket apiece. The visitors could retain Zimbabwe below 180, although they burst out late.

Nissanka Anchors, Kamindu Finishes in Style

Sri Lanka made a good start in pursuit of 176 after Pathum Nissanka hit 55 with 4 fours and 2 sixes on only 32 balls. Wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis kept the chase going with 38 off 35 balls alongside him.

But Zimbabwe retaliated with rapid wickets during the middle overs and kept Sri Lanka on its toes at 106/4 in the 13th over.

It was then that Kamindu Mendis made the turnaround. On only 16 balls, the left-hander plowed 41 not out with 4 sixes and 1 four. His fear of hitting also saw him hit 26 in one game, a game that changed the tide of the match in favour of Sri Lanka.

Dushan Hemantha provided good support with 14* off 9 balls, as Sri Lanka reached 177/6 in 19.1 overs to seal the win.

Zimbabwe’s Best Efforts Fall Short

The bowlers of Zimbabwe did their best, but Richard Ngarava was outstanding as he took 2/19 in 4 overs. Captain Raza also contributed a wicket with Blessing Muzarabani and Tinotenda Maposa chipping in with one wicket each.

Their fightback notwithstanding, Kamindu came in late with an attack that was too much to handle as Sri Lanka surged across the finish line in style.

What’s Next?

Sri Lanka leads the T20I series by 1-0, and the second game in the series will be another thriller at the same place. Zimbabwe will want to come back and renew the series.