As the Lions take on Zimbabwe in 5 One-day internationals starting on the 30th of June, we thought of taking a trip down memory lane to look at the 5 most memorable encounters between the two teams.

The teams first played each other in 1992 and the islanders have had the upper-hand with 41 wins with Zimbabwe winning 7 matches; 2 encounters ended as no results.

Sri Lanka win the first ever tie between the teams

Athula Samarasekara 1The first one-day international between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka was played on February 23rd 1992 at New Plymouth grounds in New Zealand. Sri Lankan skipper Aravinda De Silva won the toss and elected to field first. Wicket-keeper batsman Andy Flower, one of the greatest batters Zimbabwe have ever produced, scored an unbeaten 115 to steer them to 312/4 in their 50 overs. The islanders chased down the target in 49.2 overs with World Cup winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga top scoring with an unbeaten 88. Support came from Athula Samarasekara and Roshan Mahanama who made half tons to guide the Lankans to a famous 3 wicket win over their counterparts.

Man of the match – Andy Flower

Zimbabwe winning their first encounter against Sri Lanka

Campbell 4After failing four times, Zimbabwe finally tasted victory in a nail biter played at the Harare Sports club, Zimababwe in 1994. Zimbabwe skipper Alistair Campbell decided to bat first in home conditions as the hosts posted 290/5 in 50 overs. Skipper Campbell led from front with a magnificent 131 to put the hosts into a commanding total. The visitors came ever so close to the target as they managed 288/8 in 50 overs. Stylish right hander Roshan Mahanama made a classy century and Aravinda De Silva stroked 97 runs in a losing cause as the hosts won the match by 2 runs.

Man of the match – Alistair Campbell

Russel Arnold’s impact in a close encounter

Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

Zimbabwe skipper Andy Flower opted to bowl first and Sri Lanka were buddle out for a below-par 213 in a game which was played in 1999 at Queens Sports club, Bulawayo. The lanky left-hander Russel Arnold was the main stay as he scored 103 runs to give the visitors a fighting target. The visiting Lions successfully defended 213 as the hosts were knocked over for 200 in 49.1 overs. The handy left-arm spinner Sanath Jayasuriya took four timely wickets for 41 runs as the visitors won the game by 13 runs.

Man of the match – Russel Arnold

Duckworth–Lewis method came into the scene

sanga 4Skipper Marvan Atapattu invited the hosts to take the first lease of the wicket at Bulawayo grounds in 2004. Wicket keeper batsman and Zimbabwe skipper Tatenda Taibu made an excellent 96* as the hosts had to be satisfied with 211/6 in 50 overs. It was surely another encounter which could have gone down to wire, but unfortunately rain came down and the game ended in Sri Lanka’s favor as the visitors won the game by 12 runs (D/L Method) finishing on 144/4 in 27 overs. After a shaky start the stylish left-hander Kumar Sangakkara 73* and Tillakaratne Dilshan 35* remained unbeaten to make sure the Lions got ahead of the D/L par score.

Man of the match – Tatenda Taibu

Collective effort from the Lankan Lions

masakadza 5Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardane and the team had to bat first after losing the toss at Harare Sports club in November 2008. The encounter was restricted for 28 overs per side due to a late start; the visitors scored only 171/7 in their 28 overs. Kumar Sangakkara once again proved to be the go to man for the Lions with a brisk 57 off 59 balls to give the visitors something to bowl at. The dashing right-hander Hamilton Masakadza was dangerous in the beginning, making a blistering 77, but it was not enough for the home team as they fell short of a win, managing only 166/7 in 28 overs. The disciplined Lankan bowling attack, led by the wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who bowled his 6 overs for 20 runs and 2 wickets, clinched the thriller for the islanders.

Man of the match – Hamilton Masakadza