Pathum Nissanka hammered an unbeaten 98 to guide Sri Lanka to a dominant nine-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the fifth match of the T20I Tri-nation Series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Chasing 147 in a must-win clash, Sri Lanka reached 148/1 in just 16.2 overs to keep their hopes of reaching the November 29 final alive.
Sri Lanka, now on two points, must beat Pakistan on Thursday (November 27) to qualify. Zimbabwe will advance to the final only if Sri Lanka lose.
Shanaka Praises Bowling Unit
Captain Dasun Shanaka credited his side for producing their most complete performance of the series.
From the start, the confidence was there. We bowled in the right areas, especially Maheesh Theekshana. We bowled well in the Power-play, and we carried through. Everyone did their part with the ball.
Commenting on the bitter Rawalpindi cold, he added: “It is extremely cold. We haven’t played in such cold weather, but we are managing.”
Spinners Restrict Zimbabwe to 146/5
Zimbabwe, put in to bat, were dented early when Theekshana removed both openers inside three overs. Brian Bennett (34 off 26) and Brendan Taylor (14) added 36 for the third wicket before Taylor fell on 53/3 in the eighth over.
Bennett and Sikandar Raza then added another 36-run stand, but Hasaranga broke through by removing Bennett and later Raza (37 off 29). Ryan Burl’s late unbeaten 37 off 26 balls lifted Zimbabwe to 146/5.
Theekshana and Hasaranga both returned identical figures of 2-23 from four overs.
Nissanka Overtakes Kusal Perera, Nears Second T20I Century
Sri Lanka’s chase revolved entirely around Nissanka, who became the nation’s leading T20I run-scorer, surpassing Kusal Perera’s 2305 runs. His unbeaten 98 (58 balls, 11 fours, 4 sixes) is the joint-fifth highest score by a Sri Lankan in T20Is and his second-best after his 107 against India earlier this year.
My plan was to play well in the Power-play, because we had struggled through that phase. I analysed my game. There were a few mistakes, and I corrected those, and it came off. It’s not easy to play all three formats and adapt to those, but I have training for each of them.
On his favourite stroke of the evening, he added: “I think the scoop shot.”
Mendis, Nissanka Finish Job With Ease
After Kamil Mishara fell with the score at 59, Nissanka and Kusal Mendis (25* off 25) put together an unbeaten 89-run stand. Nissanka sealed the win in style with a four and a six off Richard Ngarava. Sri Lanka finished on 148/1 with 22 balls to spare.
Raza: “We Were Slightly Short”
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza admitted they needed more on the board.
We were slightly short. I think overs 18 and 19 from Malinga and Chamee were top class. Having said that, we didn’t bowl well in the Power-play. We didn’t allow the ball to swing. There was variable bounce too, but once you bowl too full or too short, it’s easy.
With qualification dependent on Sri Lanka losing to Pakistan, Raza joked: “We haven’t been in a position where we have to rely on others… I guess everyone will be supporting Pakistan so that we can get into the final.”
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 146/5 in 20 overs (Ryan Burl 37*, Sikandar Raza 37, Brian Bennett 34; Maheesh Theekshana 2-23, Wanindu Hasaranga 2-23) Sri Lanka 148/1 in 16.2 overs (Pathum Nissanka 98*, Kusal Mendis 25*). Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets
