Sri Lanka staged a dramatic recovery to chase down 176, finishing at 177 for 6 to beat Zimbabwe, who posted 175 for 7, by four wickets. Pathum Nissanka scored 55, while Kamindu Mendis remained unbeaten on 41, and Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarava picked up 2 for 19.

Kamindu’s Explosive Finish Seals the Victory

Sri Lanka’s chase looked in jeopardy as they slipped from 96 for 0 to 125 for 5, needing 46 runs from the last four overs. Kamindu Mendis, coming in at No. 6, turned the game around with a sensational 41 not out off 16 balls, smashing four sixes and a four. Most of his shots came behind square on the leg side as Zimbabwe’s bowlers faltered under pressure.

“π‘²π’‚π’Žπ’Šπ’π’…π’– π’‘π’π’‚π’šπ’†π’… π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰ π’Šπ’π’„π’“π’†π’…π’Šπ’ƒπ’π’† π’„π’π’Žπ’‘π’π’”π’–π’“π’† 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’‘π’π’˜π’†π’“ 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉. π‘―π’Šπ’” π’‰π’Šπ’•π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’˜π’‚π’” 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’…π’Šπ’‡π’‡π’†π’“π’†π’π’„π’† π’ƒπ’†π’•π’˜π’†π’†π’ 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏 π’–π’π’‡π’π’“π’ˆπ’†π’•π’•π’‚π’ƒπ’π’† π’˜π’Šπ’,” π’”π’‚π’Šπ’… 𝒂 π‘Ίπ’“π’Š π‘³π’‚π’π’Œπ’‚ π’•π’†π’‚π’Ž π’π’‡π’‡π’Šπ’„π’Šπ’‚π’.

Sri Lanka ultimately reached the target with five balls to spare and four wickets in hand, thanks to Kamindu’s late assault and Nissanka’s solid foundation.

Nissanka and Middle-Order Wobble

Pathum Nissanka anchored the innings with his third half-century of the tour, scoring 55 off 32 balls and setting the platform for the chase. However, Sri Lanka went through a tense phase, losing six wickets for 46 runs in seven overs, which made the finish nervy. The opening partnership of 96 between Kusal Mendis and Nissanka at more than nine runs per over provided the early cushion.

Zimbabwe had relied heavily on Brian Bennett, whose 81 off 57 balls kept them competitive. He powered through the powerplay, scoring 32 off 17 initially, and built key partnerships with Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl before Dushmantha Chameera dismissed him.

“𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒕 π’˜π’‚π’” π’π’–π’•π’”π’•π’‚π’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 π’π’Šπ’Žπ’ƒπ’‚π’ƒπ’˜π’†, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’ƒπ’π’˜π’π’†π’“π’”, π’†π’”π’‘π’†π’„π’Šπ’‚π’π’π’š π‘ͺπ’‰π’‚π’Žπ’†π’†π’“π’‚, π’Œπ’†π’‘π’• π’‡π’Šπ’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’˜π’‚π’šπ’” 𝒕𝒐 π’”π’•π’“π’Šπ’Œπ’† 𝒂𝒕 π’„π’“π’–π’„π’Šπ’‚π’ π’Žπ’π’Žπ’†π’π’•π’”,” π’„π’π’Žπ’Žπ’†π’π’•π’†π’… π‘Ίπ’“π’Š π‘³π’‚π’π’Œπ’‚β€™π’” 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉.

Chameera Shines With the Ball

Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing with 3 for 30. He impressed both in the powerplay and the death overs, taking wickets with precise yorkers and clever variations, reading the batters’ intentions perfectly.

Zimbabwe’s Tinotenda Maposa’s 18th over proved costly, conceding 26 runs, effectively handing the match to Sri Lanka. Kamindu capitalized on Maposa’s no-balls and full tosses, clearing the ropes multiple times to finish the match in style.

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