Zimbabwe got off to a bad start thanks to Maheesh Theekshana. The spinner, recalled for this must-win clash, bowled a brilliant new-ball spell that took out Tadiwanashe Marumani and Dion Myers early.
Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor tried to stabilize but Taylor couldn’t score at a high pace, while Bennett kept the board going but departed for 34.
Sikandar Raza tied a stand with Bennett and later tried to push the innings. His 37 off 29 pushed the total to a score of over 160. Wanindu Hasaranga struck twice in quick succession to get rid of both Bennett and Raza. Ryan Burl’s quick unbeaten 37 gave Zimbabwe a respectable 146 for 5.
Chasing 147, Nissanka led Sri Lanka to 64 for 1 off six overs. Kamil Mishara’s dismissal for 12 years has not slowed things down. With Kusal Mendi’s rotating strike at the other end, Nissanka continued to score runs all over the ground. Nissanka’s eleven fours and four sixes ended the chase in 16.2 overs, but the batsman was just two runs short of his second T20I century.
“My plan was to play well in the powerplay where we were struggling earlier, I was able to get through that and continue with my batting. I analyzed a few areas where I went wrong, I corrected them and today it came out. It’s not easy to play all three formats and adapt to them. In the practice sessions, I practice differently for each format. (On his favorite six today) I think is a first,” Nissanka said during the post-match interview.
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