Saturday Feb 28, 2026
Saturday Feb 28, 2026
Friday, 20 February 2026 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera bashed the ball around in the powerplay
Brian Bennett got going after a quiet start to guide Zimbabwe home with 63*
It was a dead rubber no doubt with both Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka having already qualified to play in the Men’s T20 World Cup Super-Eights, but psychologically it was important to keep the momentum going and, in this aspect, Zimbabwe came out with flying colours defeating the co-hosts by 6 wickets with 3 balls to spare at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium yesterday to finish on top of Group B.
Zimbabwe took the bragging rights with them by chasing down Sri Lanka’s total of 178-7 by scoring 182-4. Opener Brian Bennett once again anchored the chase with a 48-ball 63*(8 fours), Tadiwanashe Marumani (34 off 26) and Ryan Burl (23 off 12) kept the chase on track with breezy knocks, but it was Player of the Match Sikandar Raza and his onslaught which decisively turned the game in Zimbabwe's favour. The skipper couldn't finish the game, but he had done his bit by then scoring a rapid 45 off 26 balls (2 fours, 4 sixes). Sri Lanka were without a host of first-choice bowlers and the pitch did seem to play better under lights. In the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana (both injured) and Dushmantha Chameera (rested), Sri Lanka’s bowling lacked the cutting edge and it showed in their fielding as well. Dasun Shanaka and Dunith Wellalage tried their best, but the rest of the bowling was not quite up to scratch. Maheesh Theekshana, on a slow track, was too expensive, with none of the seamers gaining any foothold either.
At the half-way stage Sri Lanka may have felt they just had enough on the board. Sri Lanka seemed to believe that in the opening overs of the powerplay too when they tied the Zimbabwean batters down. But then, Marumani teed off, with Bennett following suit soon after putting on 69 off 51 balls for the first wicket. Burl played his part too, but Raza arguably played the decisive knock. Although he could not stay till the end, his innings ensured that Zimbabwe, despite a wobble, had enough of a cushion to bounce back. The result, in terms of qualification, may not have mattered, but Sri Lanka were left with the feeling they should have won this game.
After winning the toss Sri Lanka decided to bat first and rode on Pathum Nissanka's 62 off 41 balls (8 fours) at the top of the order to secure a decent start. The two Kusal's, Perera and Mendis, got starts but it was the 25-ball 44 (3 fours, 2 sixes) from Pavan Rathnayake that really turbocharged the innings. Wellalage added vital runs in the 20th over and Zimbabwe were left to chase down a big score to secure a top-place finish. Graeme Cremer's 2/27 was the best bowling effort while the pacers went for runs.
