Match Overview

Zimbabwe produced a complete, disciplined display to defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets at Harare Sports Club, setting up a winner-takes-all decider. Asked to bowl first, the hosts dismissed Sri Lanka for 80 in 17.4 overs—the visitors’ second-lowest T20I total—before closing the chase at 84/5 in 14.2 overs with 34 balls unused. The bowling group set the tone, and the lower middle order finished with clarity.

First Innings: Sri Lanka Collapse to 80

Zimbabwe’s new-ball pairing nailed a hard-length plan and removed scoring options early. Blessing Muzarabani extracted steep bounce and challenged the splice, while Brad Evans attacked the stumps to keep pads and timber in play. Once the field spread, captain Sikandar Raza smothered the middle overs with stump-to-stump accuracy and subtle pace changes. Partnerships never built—Sri Lanka were four down by the powerplay and never recovered. Only Kamil Mishara (20) reached 20 as Zimbabwe’s seam-spin blend forced miscues and rushed strokes. The final tally of 80 reflected dot-ball pressure, repeatable lengths, and sharp catching.

Second Innings: Composed Zimbabwe Chase

Small chases can be tricky, and Dushmantha Chameera briefly lit a fuse with a hostile spell for 3/19, nicking out top-order batters and removing Raza to leave Zimbabwe at a nervy 50/5. The response was mature. Ryan Burl (20)* and Tashinga Musekiwa (21)* turned the target into a run-a-ball task, prioritising strike rotation, waiting for width, and picking off the odd short ball. With the asking rate subdued, the pair shut down risk and crossed the line with plenty to spare.

Turning Points

Powerplay squeeze: Early wickets broke Sri Lanka’s structure and pinned the scoring rate.

Raza’s middle-overs spell (3/11): No freebies; boundaries dried up and wickets fell in clusters.

Chameera’s burst: Kept the chase honest before Burl–Musekiwa’s calm stand sealed it.

Tactical Takeaways

Ball: Heavy back-of-length into a packed off-side ring forced across-the-line hitting on a grippy pitch; spin used as control rather than pure turn.

Bat: Once the ask fell below six an over, Zimbabwe played percentages—ground strokes, gap-finding, and low aerial risk.

Player of the Match

Sikandar Raza – 3/11 (4 overs)

Captain’s spell defined the innings’ middle third: wicket-to-wicket discipline, smart pace variation, and zero momentum for Sri Lanka’s rebuild.

Score Summary

Sri Lanka 80 all out (17.4 ov): Mishara 20; Raza 3/11, Evans 3/15, Muzarabani 2/14.

Zimbabwe 84/5 (14.2 ov):Musekiwa 21*, Burl 20*; Chameera 3/19.

Result: Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets; series level 1–1.