Under the chilly cloak of a Thursday night at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Zimbabwe authored a performance of stunning authority, dismantling Sri Lanka by a massive 67 runs to record a significant victory in their tri-series T20 International match.
In a display that blended explosive batting with relentless bowling, they first posted a commanding 168-8 before skittling their esteemed opponents for a paltry 95, registering only their third-ever T20 International win against the island nation.
The foundation for this landmark triumph was laid by their batsmen, who, after being asked to bat first, constructed a total that always seemed way beyond Sri Lanka’s grasp.
The innings ignited early, with opener Brian Bennett shifting from cautious to carnage in the second over, striking off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana (1-30) for three scintillating boundaries. Fellow opener Tadiwanashe Marumani followed suit, hitting two more off pacer Nuwan Thushara, propelling Zimbabwe into a comfortable position.
The breakthrough came from Theekshana, who induced a soft leading edge from Marumani for a simple return catch.
The momentum threatened to stall further when debutant Eshan Malinga enjoyed a dream start, cleaning up Brendan Taylor.
But from 42-2, the match-defining partnership blossomed. Bennett, displaying a mix of elegance and power, was joined by his skipper, Sikandar Raza. Together, they steadied and then accelerated the innings, stitching together a crucial 61-run stand.
They rotated the strike with intelligence and punished the loose deliveries, bringing up their fifty partnership in style with a boundary.
Just as Zimbabwe looked set for an explosive finish, heartbreak struck Bennett for the second game running. On the cusp of a deserved half-century, he top-edged a sweep off the wily Wanindu Hasaranga to be dismissed for a brilliant, yet agonising, 49 off 42 balls.
The departure of Bennett triggered a mini-collapse, masterminded by Hasaranga. Ryan Burl, after smacking two sixes in his 11-ball 18, was undone by a brilliant googly that clattered into his stumps. Two balls later, Tony Munyonga was trapped lbw in front by another Hasaranga wrong’un, leaving Zimbabwe at a precarious 133 for 6.
Through the chaos, Captain Raza stood firm. Refusing to take his foot off the pedal, he launched Thushara for a boundary and a six, racing to 47 from 32 balls.
His valiant knock was ended by a moment of sheer brilliance in the field. Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka, sprinting full-tilt from long-off, plucked a stunning catch to dismiss his opposite number off Dushmantha Chameera.
Despite a late six from Tashinga Musekiwa, Sri Lanka’s bowlers tightened their grip at the death, restricting Zimbabwe to 168.
Hasaranga (3-32) and Malinga (2-27) were the chief architects of the restraint.
What followed was a clinical demolition job by the Zimbabwean bowlers. From the outset, they suffocated the Sri Lankan top order with disciplined lines and penetrating pace.
The pressure built relentlessly, and the wickets fell in a steady, humiliating procession. The experienced Sri Lankan batsmen had no answer, their innings never finding any rhythm or partnership of substance.
The tone was set by Richard Ngarava (2-15), whose inswinger accounted for opener Pathum Nissanka (nought), who after playing out four dots, miscued a desperate heave to midwicket. Kusal Perera (four) followed, skying a delivery from Tinotenda Maposa to fine leg.
The innings then descended into farce with the dismissal of Kusal Mendis (six). Bhanuka Rajapaksa, in a moment of sheer absent-mindedness, punched the ball straight to cover and set off for a run that never existed. While the throw was poor, Kusal Mendis, frozen at the non-striker’s end.
Rajapaksa (11), clearly rattled, survived a subsequent run-out chance thanks to another wayward throw, but his agony ended soon after.
Trying to break the shackles, he charged down the pitch only to be comprehensively cleaned up by Brad Evans (3-19). At 45-4 after 10 overs, Sri Lanka were in freefall.
The collapse was cemented when Raza (1-23) cleaned up Kamindu Mendis (nine) in the 11th over, leaving half the side back in the pavilion.
A brief flicker of resistance came from captain Dasun Shanaka, who clubbed two fours and as many sixes, but his fightback was cut short by Ryan Burl (1-8), who found the edge to send the skipper packing.
From there, it was a mere procession. Ngarava returned to have Dushmantha Chameera caught at third man, and Wanindu Hasaranga holed out to Bennett at cow corner, the final acknowledgment of a lost cause.
The tail was swiftly mopped up, with Evans (3-9) fittingly cleaning up Maheesh Theekshana with a devastating yorker on the final ball of the last over to seal the win.
