Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets. Zimbabwe defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in the second T20I on Tuesday (January 16) at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. They have managed to level the three-match series 1-1 courtesy of the win.
After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka managed to reach a decent total of 173/6 in 20 overs. Their top-order collapsed meekly in the powerplay, as they found themselves in a dire position at 27/4 after 4.4 overs.
Angelo Mathews (66) and Charith Asalanka (69) bailed them out with a 118-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The duo’s efforts helped them put on a respectable first innings total. Zimbabwe opener Craig Ervine then played a wonderful knock of 70 (54) to set up the platform for his side in the chase.
However, Sri Lankan bowlers pulled things back and reduced the visiting team to 154/6 at the end of 19 overs. With 20 needed off the final over, Sri Lanka had the upper hand as their captain, Wanindu Hasaranga, entrusted Angelo Mathews to bowl it.
[videopress dDB6yzD5]Luke Jongwe hit a six off the first ball, which was also a no-ball. He then hit two fours and played a dot before taking a single after Maheesh Theekshan dropped his catch. On the fifth ball of the 20th over, Clive Madande hit a six-over deep midwicket region to finish the match in style.
At the post-match presentation, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza reflected on the special win and said:
“The good thing is that this is the group of boys who will turn it around. In the first one, we got really close, but today was just unbelievable. If you say, I will rather win the first two games. It didn’t slip out of our hands today. We knew the first 6 7 overs would be crucial.”
He continued:
“Even at the halfway stage I told the guys to be positive and I was very calm. An entertaining match is always good for the game and the fans. I wanted our team to get to 80 in the first 10 overs. We were pretty calm. When we have our backs against the wall, Zimbabwe have a history of coming back.”
The series-deciding third T20I will be played on Thursday (January 18) at the same venue.
