Bennett fifty, Raza blitz power Zimbabwe in thrilling win over Sri Lanka

Sikandar Raza's cameo of 45 off 26 balls silenced the Colombo crowd and secured Zimbabwe a thrilling six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, despite both teams having already qualified for the Super Eights. Chasing 179, Zimbabwe clinched the win with three balls to spare.

Zimbabwe's Chase

Zimbabwe's openers, Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani, provided a strong start, reaching 55/0 in the PowerPlay. The partnership continued until the ninth over when Dunith Wellalage dismissed Marumani via a caught and bowled.

Ryan Burl fell in the 12th over, top-edging a bouncer from Dasun Shanaka. Wellalage then bowled a tight over, conceding just two runs, leaving Zimbabwe needing 78 from 42 balls.

Sikandar Raza entered at 98/2 in the 12th over, with 65 required from 36 balls. He aggressively shifted momentum, hitting Dushan Hemantha for 6, 6, and 4 in one over. Raza continued his assault, striking Maheesh Theekshana for a six over long-on and a four past backward point.

He welcomed Dilshan Madushanka with another six, while Bennett—who became the first Zimbabwean to score consecutive T20 World Cup half-centuries—added a four in a 14-run over. Wellalage bowled an excellent 18th over, yielding only six singles.

Hemantha dismissed Raza (45 off 26) at the start of the 19th over, caught at cover. Sri Lanka then took a spectacular catch to remove Tashinga Musekiwa, with Shanaka running back 25 meters from mid-on and diving to complete the dismissal.

Zimbabwe needed 8 off the final over. Tony Munyonga slog-swept Theekshana for a six, and Bennett finished the game with a boundary, remaining unbeaten on 63.

Sri Lanka's Innings

After being put in to bat, Sri Lanka posted 178/7. Pathum Nissanka dominated the PowerPlay, scoring 34 of their 61 runs, despite losing Kusal Perera early to Blessing Muzarabani.

Zimbabwe deployed 13 overs of spin through Sikandar Raza, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, and Ryan Burl, which restrained Nissanka to some extent, though he still reached a 35-ball half-century. Sri Lanka were 86/1 at the halfway stage.

The second-wicket partnership between Nissanka (62) and Kusal Mendis took the team past 100, but Burl and Cremer dismissed both in the 13th and 14th overs respectively. Sri Lanka entered the death overs at 122/3.

Pavan Rathnayake provided crucial late impetus, smashing 44 off 25 balls, including three fours and two sixes. Thirty-four of his runs came in the last five overs, as Sri Lanka added 56 runs despite losing four wickets. Raza conceded 15 in the 17th over, Brad Evans went for 16 in the 19th, and Muzarabani was hit for 14 in the 20th. Dunith Wellalage finished with an eight-ball 15.

Key Moments

• Sri Lanka's PowerPlay bowling struggles continued, with Zimbabwe reaching 55/0.
• Sikandar Raza's 45 off 26 balls decisively changed the chase.
• Brian Bennett's unbeaten 63 anchored the innings.
• Pavan Rathnayake's 44 off 25 balls boosted Sri Lanka's total.
• Dasun Shanaka's spectacular catch in the 19th over briefly revived Sri Lanka's hopes.

Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 178/7 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 62, Pavan Rathnayake 44; Graeme Cremer 2-27) lost to Zimbabwe 182/4 in 19.3 overs (Brian Bennett 63*, Sikandar Raza 45, Tony Munyonga 8*) by 6 wickets.