Sri Lanka prevailed in a well-crafted chase, led by Pathum Nissanka’s century and Charith Asalanka’s quick half-century, to win the second ODI by 5 wickets and seal the series 2-0 against Zimbabwe today (31st August) at the Harare Sports Club.
Chasing 278, Nissanka provided another solid start, though Sri Lanka suffered early setbacks when Nuwanidu Fernando and Kusal Mendis fell cheaply to Brad Evans with just 68 on the board.
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He was then joined by Sadeera Samarawickrama, and the pair added 78 runs for the third wicket before debutant Ernest Masuku claimed his maiden ODI wicket, with Samarawickrama dismissed in the 30s.
Nissanka continued in fine touch, bringing up his second successive fifty before converting it into his 7th ODI century – and his third in Zimbabwe. He added 90 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Charith Asalanka before falling for a brilliant 122 to Richard Ngarava.
Then it was Asalanka, who almost took his side home, stroking a quick-fire fifty before being dismissed by the left-arm pacer in the penultimate over. With just 6 needed from 7, Kamindu Mendis found a first-ball boundary and eventually sealed the win with three balls to spare.
Earlier, Zimbabwe posted a competitive 277/7 in 50 overs. Opener Ben Curran once again gave them a strong start, registering his second consecutive fifty and putting together half-century stands with Brian Bennet and Brendan Taylor. However, after he fell in the 70s, Sri Lanka struck back, reducing the hosts to 176/5.
Asitha Fernando knocked over Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams before Dilshan Madushanka dismissed Tony Munyonga as the hat-trick hero from the first ODI became the fastest Sri Lankan pace bowler to 50 ODI wickets, reaching the milestone in just 28 matches.
Yet again, the ever-reliable Sikandar Raza built an important partnership with Clive Madande to take the hosts past the 250 mark. He continued his superb form, scoring an unbeaten fifty at a strike rate of over 100.
Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing with 3 for 52. Asitha Fernando was expensive but managed to pick up two scalps during his 9-over spell.
Earlier at the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bowl first, handing an opportunity to Nuwanidu Fernando in place of the injured Nishan Madushka. Zimbabwe made two changes, bringing in Clive Madande and Ernest Masuku for Wessly Madhevere and Trevor Gwandu.
The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series, starting on 3rd September at the same venue, and can be watched LIVE on Sri Lanka’s No.1 Sports Channel – ThePapare 1, ThePapare 1 HD (Dialog Television Ch. 62 & 126), and Dialog ViU+ App.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bennett | b Dushmantha Chameera | 21 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 72.41 |
| Ben Curran | c Pavan Rathnayake b Asitha Fernando | 79 | 95 | 9 | 0 | 83.16 |
| Brendan Taylor | c Dushmantha Chameera b Janith Liyanage | 20 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 54.05 |
| Sean Williams | c Pavan Rathnayake b Asitha Fernando | 20 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 71.43 |
| Sikandar Raza | not out | 59 | 55 | 5 | 1 | 107.27 |
| Tony Munyonga | b Dilshan Madusanka | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 76.92 |
| Clive Madande | b Dushmantha Chameera | 36 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Brad Evans | c Pavan Rathnayake b Dushmantha Chameera | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 160.00 |
| Richard Ngarava | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 22 (b 0 , lb 3 , nb 0, w 19, pen 0) |
| Total | 277/7 (50 Overs, RR: 5.54) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 9 | 0 | 67 | 2 | 7.44 | |
| Dilshan Madusanka | 10 | 0 | 57 | 1 | 5.70 | |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 10 | 0 | 52 | 3 | 5.20 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 10 | 1 | 45 | 0 | 4.50 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 4.25 | |
| Janith Liyanage | 7 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 5.14 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Wesly Madhevere b Richard Ngarava | 122 | 136 | 16 | 0 | 89.71 |
| Nuwanidu Fernando | b Brad Evans | 14 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 51.85 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Ben Curran b Brad Evans | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c Sikandar Raza b Ernest Masuku | 31 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 67.39 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Brian Bennett b Richard Ngarava | 71 | 61 | 7 | 0 | 116.39 |
| Janith Liyanage | not out | 19 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 118.75 |
| Kamindu Mendis | not out | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 250.00 |
| Extras | 11 (b 0 , lb 4 , nb 1, w 6, pen 0) |
| Total | 278/5 (49.3 Overs, RR: 5.62) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Ngarava | 9 | 0 | 53 | 1 | 5.89 | |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 8.3 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 6.51 | |
| Brad Evans | 10 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 5.40 | |
| Prince Masvaure | 5 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 6.40 | |
| Sikandar Raza | 9 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 5.11 | |
| Sean Williams | 8 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 4.38 | |
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