Janith Liyanage smashes his maiden ODI fifty: Key stats
Sri Lanka claimed a two-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the 2nd ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on January 8. The hosts successfully chased down 209, but the match went down to the wire. Richard Ngarava disrupted their chase by taking five wickets. However, youngster Janith Liyanage held his nerves and saved SL from a collapse. He slammed his maiden ODI fifty.
A match-winning knock
Liyanage, playing only his second ODI, guided the hosts to a memorable win. He came to the middle after SL were reduced to 16/2 in 2.2 overs. The right-handed batter held his ground even though SL lost five wickets before the 100-run mark. With Maheesh Theekshana's support, Liyanage took SL past 160. The latter eventually scored a 127-ball 95 (6 fours and 2 sixes).
Over 2,400 List A runs
Liyanage is new to ODI cricket, having made his debut in the opener of the ongoing Zimbabwe series. He broke into the national side on the back of 2,449 runs in List A cricket. He averages 41.50 from 78 matches in the format. The tally includes three tons and 16 half-centuries. Liyanage, who bowls medium-pace, has 43 List-A wickets to his name.
Liyanage scored runs in this tournament
Liyanage made waves with his blade in the 2023/24 Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament, a List-A tournament in Sri Lanka. In six matches, he scored 383 runs at an incredible average of 63.83. He also slammed a ton.
A look at the match summary
Electing to bat, Zimbabwe had a poor start (1/1), but Craig Ervine and Joylord Gumbie (30) took them past 60. While Ryan Burl and Milton Shumba had momentary control, Ervine kept Zimbabwe afloat. They perished for 208. It wasn't a walk in the park for SL, who slumped to 112/6. However, Liyanage's 95 solidified them. Jeffrey Vandersay and Dushmantha Chameera got them home.
