Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 2nd Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

The national anthems of both teams were played out and now the players make their way out to the middle. Zimbabwe's opening batters were excellent in the previous game. Can they repeat the same? Nuwan Thushara has the new ball. Two slips evenly spread out. Here we go..

Kusal Perera: Yes, I’ve been here a couple of times during the PSL, the weather was really good then. At the moment, it’s a bit cold, so we can’t blame anyone for the conditions - we just have to adjust. I also had surgery on my right shoulder, so I’m still playing with some pain. It’s not 100%, but I do my rehabilitation every day, and I manage it as best as I can. That’s how it is going. Sometimes I keep wickets as well. If the team needs me to keep, I’m always happy to do that. When I’m batting at three, I need to calculate the situation, especially during the powerplay. If the situation demands it, I have to consolidate and build a partnership with my partner. Other times, I need to be aggressive and shift gears. It depends on the match situation, and I try to follow the plans as best as I can.

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brendan Taylor(w), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava, Graeme Cremer

Pitch Report: "Raza summed it up perfectly. This pitch looks far better for batting than the previous one. That surface gripped, so bowlers used a lot of slower balls. This one is more typical of Rawalpindi - wide cracks, which means the ball should skid on rather than stop. If there’s dew later, batting becomes even easier. I think 170 is the minimum. Teams must aim to score 20 above par because defending becomes very tough once dew sets in. Conditions get better for chasing. Once boundaries start flowing on a pitch with good bounce, runs come quickly. We’ve seen it repeatedly in Pindi, especially during the PSL. This looks exactly like one of those pitches," reckon Ramiz Raja and Bazid Khan.

Sikandar Raza: I don’t think we assessed the wicket well enough. Once the spinners came on, the pitch slowed down and there was some turn. We tried to continue the powerplay momentum, but T20 doesn’t always work like that. There was a bit of dirty work needed in the middle overs and, unfortunately, we didn’t do that. That’s why we lost four wickets quickly and didn’t put up enough runs. We did recover decently, but it wasn’t sufficient. Everyone has a defined role. I like to back the players in their positions. There was a moment I was about to walk in at three, but the wicket fell at the wrong time. I was set to come in at four, but we also considered that the left-arm spinner had overs left, so we went with a right-left combination instead. We’re flexible, but each player has a job. I can fail at three or at five - so we don’t overthink it. We trust our structure and the players we’ve selected. It looks more like a typical Pindi wicket compared to the previous one. I have a feeling it could be a high-scoring game. I don’t want to put a number, but those who know Pindi know it usually produces runs. If we bat first, we’ll try to score as many as possible. We’re going in with the same XI.

Dasun Shanaka: We are bowling first. It is a used pitch and there is going to be some dew, that is a factor. There are players who have played in Pakistan and we can use their experience to come out with the goods. Some new faces in the dugout - surely that brings a bit of freshness. Hopefully they deliver. Respecting them is important, of course, especially with someone like Sikandar Raza in form, we will try to restrict them and obviously try to pick Raza's wicket early.

17:00 Local Time, 12:00 GMT, 17:30 IST: Zimbabwe fought hard but eventually ran out of steam in the opening encounter against hosts Pakistan. Today, they face Sri Lanka - another chance to test themselves and make a statement. Hello and welcome to the second T20I of this tri-series. The first game was a low-scoring affair: Zimbabwe raced off to a flying start but could only muster 147, which Pakistan chased down in 19.2 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Sikandar Raza and his team will be keen to iron out those mistakes and deliver a stronger performance. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are without regular skipper Charith Asalanka for this series due to injury, with Dasun Shanaka stepping in to lead. They come into this series after being whitewashed by Pakistan in the ODIs and will be eager to bounce back. All signs point to a cracking contest ahead. Toss and teams coming up..

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Janith Liyanage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushan Hemantha, Kamil Mishara, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pavan Rathnayake, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth

Zimbabwe Squad: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brendan Taylor(w), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Richard Ngarava, Graeme Cremer, Wellington Masakadza, Dion Myers, Clive Madande, Newman Nyamhuri