An inexperienced Sri Lankan top order crumbled under the scoreboard pressure as Zimbabwe beat the hosts by a comfortable margin of 22 runs. Skipper Dasun Shanaka’s maiden ton went in vain as Sri Lanka’s run chase got derailed after his wicket.
Top order collapse
Blessing Muzarabani was exception with the new ball as he removed Pathum Nissanka and experienced campaigner Dinesh Chandimal in the first powerplay. From the other end, Tendai Chatara getting rid of Kusal Mendis. Chasing a tough target of 303, Sri Lanka found themselves struggling at 31/3 in the eighth over. Things did not get better in the next few overs as Charith Asalanka departed after playing himself in.
Shanaka revives run chase
Coming to bat at no.6 in the 15th over with score reading 63/4, Shanaka played his natural game and launched a counter-attack while Kamunda Mendis played cautiously. The two shared a 118-run partnership for the fifth wicket but the required run rate kept climbing up. Shanaka helped Sri Lanka stay in the game with his big hitting. He got out in the 45th over but not before scoring 102 runs off 94 deliveries including seven fours and four sixes.
Unimpressive finish
After Chatara got Shanaka’s wicket, Sri Lanka still needed 56 runs from 32 deliveries but it was too much for Chamika Karunaratne to handle. Big-hitting Karunaratne departed for a 38-ball 34 in the 48th over and in the end, it became too easy for Zimbabwe to choke the lower order batters. Sri Lanka could manage to put 280/8 on the board. For visitors, Muzarabani and Chatara took three wickets each.
Ervine leads the way
After Craig Ervine won the toss and elected to bat first at Pallekele International Stadium, Zimbabwe got off to a good start with a 59-run opening stand. While wicketkeeper-batter Regis Chakabva missed his half-century by just three runs, Ervine dominated Sri Lankan bowlers and scored 91 runs from 98 deliveries including 10 fours. He missed out on reaching the three figures as spinner Maheesh Theekshana got rid of him. The skipper shared a 106-run third-wicket stand with Sean Williams. While Williams missed his half-century by two runs, Sikandar Raza was destructive towards the end scoring 56 runs off 46 deliveries. Raza got Zimbabwe past 300 and got out off the final delivery of the innings. For Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Vandersay was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 51 runs.
This was Zimbabwe’s 12th ODI win over Sri Lanka in 59 ODIs. The Ervine-led side will have a chance to win the three-ODI series at the same venue on January 21.
