Craig Ervine becomes fourth Zimbabwe batter with 1,400 T20I runs
What's the story
Craig Ervine starred in Zimbabwe's final-over victory against Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. The visitors chased down 174, with Ervine smashing a match-winning 70. Luke Jongwe and Clive Madande smashed 20 runs in the final over to get Zimbabwe home. Ervine slammed his ninth T20I fifty and raced past 1,400 runs in the format.
Knock
Ervine's knock makes the difference
Opener Ervine laid the foundation for Zimbabwe's win with a 70-run knock. He drove the tourists past 100 despite losing his opening partner Tinashe Kamunhukamwe early. Ervine played 54 balls, having smashed 6 fours and a couple of maximums. Although he departed in the 17th over, his knock made the difference. He smashed his ninth half-century in T20I cricket.
Record
Fourth Zimbabwe batter with this feat
As mentioned, Ervine has completed 1,400 runs in T20Is. He has become the fourth Zimbabwe batter with this feat. In terms of runs, he is only behind Sikandar Raza (1,844), Sean Williams (1,676), and Hamilton Masakadza (1,662). As of now, Ervine has racked up 1,429 runs from 67 T20Is at an average of 23.04. However, his strike rate is on the lower side (106.32).
Match
A look at the match summary
Sri Lanka had a horrendous start and were down to 27/4 after Zimbabwe elected to field. However, Charith Asalanka and Angelo Mathews rescued them. Thanks to them, SL reached 173/6. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe had a strong start, but no batter assisted Ervine. Although Zimbabwe were 143/6 in the 18th over, Luke Jongwe and Clive Madande chased 30 runs in the last two overs.