Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in final-over thriller, level series 1-1
Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on January 16. The visitors chased down 174, with Craig Ervine smashing a match-winning 70. Luke Jongwe and Clive Madande smashed 20 runs in the final over to get Zimbabwe home. Earlier, Charith Asalanka and Angelo Mathews saved the Lankans from a batting collapse. Zimbabwe leveled the three-match series 1-1.
A look at the match summary
Sri Lanka had a horrendous start and were down to 27/4 after Zimbabwe elected to field. However, Asalanka and 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.
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.
Heroics of Jongwe and Madande
Luke Jongwe (25*) and Clive Madande (15*) got Zimbabwe over the line. Zimbabwe required 30 runs off the last two overs. The 19th over saw a solitary six, but Jongwe and Madande collected four singles. The former smashed two sixes and a four in the final over bowled by Mathews. It was down to two of two balls when Madande cleared the rope.
An innings-defining knock from Asalanka
Asalanka came to the middle after Sri Lanka lost three wickets for just 20 runs. In a matter of minutes, Sadeera Samarawickrama also departed, bringing the Lankans down to 27/4. Asalanka found support from Mathews, and the duo took SL past 140. The former smashed 69 off 39 balls, a knock laced with 5 fours and 3 sixes. It was his fifth T20I fifty.
Asalanka's 100th T20 game
The 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe marked Asalanka's 100th match in overall T20 cricket. The Lankan batter, who has played for quite a few franchises, has over 2,000 runs in the format.
Mathews plays an impactful knock
Mathews turned up after SL lost four wickets for just 24 runs. He supported Asalanka as the duo helped the Lankans recover. While Asalanka played a blazing knock, Mathews firmly held his end. They added 118 runs for the fifth wicket. Mathews smashed an unbeaten 66 off 51 balls, a knock studded with 6 fours and 2 sixes. He slammed his sixth T20I fifty.
Mathews attains these feats
During the match, Mathews became the seventh batter to complete 1,200 runs for Sri Lanka in T20I cricket. Mathews also became the fifth Lankan player to feature in 80 or more T20Is.
A record-breaking partnership for SL
As mentioned, Mathews and Asalanka added 118 runs for the fifth wicket. As per ESPNcricinfo, this is now Sri Lanka's highest fifth-wicket partnership in T20I cricket. Notably, this is Sri Lanka's only century-plus stand for this wicket in the format. The previous highest partnership in this regard was between Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (86 against Bangladesh, Sharjah, 2021).
Ngarava becomes Zimbabwe's second-highest wicket-tajer in T20Is
Zimbabwe's strike bowler Richard Ngarava took a solitary wicket in the match. He dismissed Dasun Shanaka toward the innings' end. With this, the former became Zimbabwe's second-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket. He surpassed all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who owns 58 wickets. Notably, Jongwe joined Raza in the same match. Ngarava now has 59 wickets from 48 T20Is at an average of 20.96.
