Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka with thumping 67-run win

Zimbabwe put together a memorable all-round performance to beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs in Rawalpindi, defending a modest 162 in the second match of the tri-series and then bowling the hosts out for only 95. The game was set up by tidy top-order contributions from Brian Bennett (49) and Sikandar Raza (47) before Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans shared five wickets.

It was Zimbabwe's third T20I win over Sri Lanka and also their biggest-ever win against a full-member side in the format.

After Sri Lanka chose to bowl first, Wanindu Hasaranga (3/32) and Eshan Malinga (2/27) did most of the damage in Zimbabwe's innings, breaking key partnerships and ensuring the total never climbed beyond a par score. After a couple of early wickets, Bennett and Raza put on a 61-run stand for the third wicket, lifting the side from 40/2 and threatening to push the total toward 180, but Hasaranga got rid of Bennett in the 13th over and then struck twice in his next to keep runs in check. Zimbabwe settled for 162/8, which felt like a below par total at the time especially with dew around.

But a target of 163 proved too many for Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe's bowlers dominated from the outset, with Richard Ngarava hitting the pitch hard and striking in the first over with the wicket of Pathum Nissanka. Kusal Perera fell to Tinotenda Maposa in the second over while Kusal Mendis was then run out in the seventh, leaving Sri Lanka tottering at 25/3.

That's when Brad Evans (4-0-9-3) came into the picture and kept Sri Lanka under pressure throughout with his frugal economy. He breached Bhanuka Rajapaksa's defences and then came back later to add the wickets of Eshan Malinga and Maheesh Theekshana, his wicket coming off the last ball of the match.

Sri Lanka's chase never found momentum. In fact, the joint-highest partnership was 23 for the fifth and sixth wickets. Dasun Shanaka (34), who survived a run-out scare, played a lone hand but too many soft dismissals cost his side.

Brief scores: Zimbabwe 162/8 (Bennett 49, Raza 47; Hasaranga 3-32, Malinga 2-27) beat Sri Lanka 95 all out in 20 overs (Shanaka 34; Brad Evans 3/9, Ngarava 2-11) by 67 runs