In a heart-stopping encounter at Harare Sports Club, Sri Lanka clinched a dramatic victory over Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the two-match series on August 29, 2025.
Zimbabwe, having won the toss, opted to bowl first, and their decision bore early fruit as Nishan Madushka fell for a duck in the fifth over.
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However, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis steadied the ship with a commanding 100-run partnership for the second wicket.
Nissanka’s elegant 76 off 92 balls, studded with 12 fours, set the tone, while Mendis contributed a composed 38 off 63 balls. Sadeera Samarawickrama’s gritty 35 at No. 4 kept the momentum going, but Zimbabwe’s spinners, Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, struck back, reducing Sri Lanka to 161/5 by the 37th over.
The game-changer came in the form of an explosive 137-run sixth-wicket stand off just 83 balls between Janith Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis.
Liyanage’s unbeaten 70 off 47 balls, laced with 6 fours and 3 sixes, and Mendis’ rapid 57 off 36 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes) propelled Sri Lanka to a formidable 298/6.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers struck early, with Asitha Fernando removing Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor in the first over. Zimbabwe fought back through a resilient 118-run partnership between Ben Curran and stand-in captain Sean Williams, who stepped up in the absence of the injured Craig Ervine.
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Williams’ dismissal, courtesy of Kamindu Mendis’ part-time spin, triggered a mini-collapse, putting Sri Lanka back in control.
However, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Tony Munyonga reignited the chase with a brilliant 128-run stand for the sixth wicket, keeping the hosts ahead of the required rate.
As the match hurtled toward a tense finish, Sri Lanka’s pace trio—Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, and Dilshan Madushanka—delivered under pressure. The game went down to the wire, with Zimbabwe needing 10 runs in the final over.
Enter Dilshan Madushanka, who etched his name into Sri Lankan cricket history. Bowling a sensational last over, Madushanka claimed a hat-trick—becoming the eighth Sri Lankan to achieve the feat in ODIs—dismissing key batters to seal a thrilling victory. His composure under pressure turned the game decisively in Sri Lanka’s favor.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Clive Madande b Blessing Muzarabani | 76 | 92 | 12 | 0 | 82.61 |
| Nishan Madushka | c Sikandar Raza b Richard Ngarava | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Clive Madande b Sean Williams | 38 | 63 | 3 | 0 | 60.32 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | lbw b Sikandar Raza | 35 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 87.50 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Sikandar Raza b Trevor Gwandu | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Janith Liyanage | not out | 70 | 47 | 6 | 3 | 148.94 |
| Kamindu Mendis | b Richard Ngarava | 57 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 158.33 |
| Extras | 16 (b 1 , lb 6 , nb 0, w 9, pen 0) |
| Total | 298/6 (50 Overs, RR: 5.96) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Ngarava | 7.4 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 4.59 | |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 10 | 1 | 65 | 1 | 6.50 | |
| Trevor Gwandu | 6.2 | 0 | 61 | 1 | 9.84 | |
| Brad Evans | 10 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 5.70 | |
| Sikandar Raza | 10 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 4.80 | |
| Sean Williams | 6 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 4.33 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bennett | c Sadeera Samarawickrama b Asitha Fernando | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ben Curran | c Dushmantha Chameera b Asitha Fernando | 70 | 90 | 8 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Brendan Taylor | c Kamindu Mendis b Asitha Fernando | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sean Williams | c Asitha Fernando b Kamindu Mendis | 57 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 105.56 |
| Sikandar Raza | b Dilshan Madusanka | 92 | 87 | 8 | 0 | 105.75 |
| Wesly Madhevere | c Asitha Fernando b Dilshan Madusanka | 8 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Tony Munyonga | not out | 43 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 82.69 |
| Brad Evans | c Asitha Fernando b Dilshan Madusanka | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Richard Ngarava | b Dilshan Madusanka | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 20 (b 0 , lb 4 , nb 0, w 16, pen 0) |
| Total | 291/8 (50 Overs, RR: 5.82) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 10 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 5.00 | |
| Dilshan Madusanka | 10 | 0 | 62 | 4 | 6.20 | |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 10 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 4.80 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 10 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 4.70 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7.00 | |
| Kamindu Mendis | 3 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 11.00 | |
| Janith Liyanage | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 6.33 | |
