Captain Sikandar Raza and fast bowler Brad Evans inspired Zimbabwe to its biggest Twenty20 win over Sri Lanka on Thursday, by 67 runs. Sri Lanka was 95 all out on the final ball in its opening match of the tri-series. Evans took 3-9 and all six bowlers got wickets.
Zimbabwe posted a par total of 162-8 after being sent in to bat; Raza made 47 off 32 balls and opening batter Brian Bennett 49, missing out on a second successive half-century.
“You want to be there when the chips are down and be prepared to do the dirty work for the team,” Raza said. “If I’m trying, I feel my team is going to try.”
Sri Lanka is enduring a horrible white-ball tour of Pakistan. Before the tri-series, it lost the ODI series to Pakistan 3-0.
Sri Lanka didn’t get any momentum once it lost Pathum Nissanka for a five-ball duck and Kusal Perera top-edged fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa as they limped to 25-2 inside the batting powerplay. Captain Dasun Shanaka (34) was one of two Sri Lankans to reach double figures.
“The intent was not there from the beginning,” said Shanaka, who was made captain for the tri-series after Charith Asalanka returned home unwell. “We cannot accept this with the players and experience we’ve got.”
Bennett and Raza put up a spirited fight for Zimbabwe in the opening loss to Pakistan and featured again on Thursday.
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Bennett began with three off-side boundaries in the second over, and combined with Raza in a 61-run stand.
Raza perished in the death overs, brilliantly caught by Shanaka at wide long-off, but Zimbabwe flogged 46 runs in the last five overs.
Sri Lanka takes on Pakistan on Saturday.
