By Srian Obeyesekere
Zimbabwe continued their unbeaten giant killing performance of the shocking in the ICC T20 World Cup that took off bringing down Australia by drubbing Sri Lanka by 6 wickets with 3 balla to spare yesterday in a slaughter of a depleted.bowling attack to silencing a packed to capacity disappointed local crowd as painted, dancing Zimbabwean supporters took over the parading to topping group B with 8 points as against the co-hosts 6 as Sikandar Raza’s batsmen ran riot led by opening batsman Brian Bennett’s scorching unbeaten 63 off 48 in a rain of 6 sixes and 8 boundaries that simply put a lacklustre Sri Lanka out of the game on an even surface for batting and bowling at Colombo’s R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.
Bennett’s gutting of the Lankan attack as sixes and boundaries flowed freely destructed the Lankans in a hell fire 89 first wicket bonding off 8.3 together with Tadiwanshe Marumani 34 off 26 in a 5 boundary and six supplementation that spelt defeat to Dasun Shanaka’s charges as early as the first eight overs when the pair looked unstoppable before the partnership was broken by fourth change Dunith Wellalage who clung on to a return catch as the ball lurked in the air off a mistimed pull by Marumani.
Zimbabwe’s response was so swift to Sri Lanka’s 178 for 7 from 20 overs in the African nation announcing its arrival of drawing even from a hitherto underdogs downsising by Sri Lanka as Sikandar Raza and company, a captain led 45 off 26, drew level head to head to their opponent’s 3 wins in most recent contests while sending down a message to reigning world champions India, their first Super Eight rivals of their new found winning prowess.
Indeed, Sikandar Raza’s men have stirred the dust of a high noon clamour in taking by storm the 10th edition ICC showpiece of world cricket’s most enthralling crowd driving format as their Batting Coach. Dion Ibrahim, who post match said, “It was a great win for us before a very strong Sri Lankan crowd,” who triggered the super eight pre match hype in the run up to their clash against high riding India when he said,”We have a plan that cannot be announced” to a question by the media.
By far, it was a jubilation Zimbabwe had hard worked for in bleeding Sri Lanka in their own terrain of truly the blockbuster although the final countdown was as close as eight runs from the final over with Munoyanga sealing it their way by a lusty pulled straight six off the very first delivery by Maheesh Theekshana released slow, quite unlike his usual fast pegging down low trajectory stuff. A single off the next, left it for Bennett to fittingly smack the winning boundary.
For all the bowler handicaps, Sri Lanka’s downfall was in their batting that lacked the extra zip of a 30 or so from Kamindu Mendis or Dasun Shanaka, both of whom falling cheaply in the failure to setting up a 200 or more total that would have pressurised Zombabwe having opted to bat first where post match Kusal Mendis said that the wicket was sluggish as a setback, the performances of Pathum Nissanka 62 off 41 (8×4) and Pavan Rathnayake 44 off 25 driven by 2 over the top and 3 across when the right hander exploded in a 17th over 4,6,4 hammering of Brad Evans, before the bowler pulled it back by having him caught by Graeme Cremer, certainly underwrote that the surface did hold runs to those who dared.
In the final analysis, Zimbabwe’s batsmen in particular played the better cricket as granted by Mendis in owning up that it was what made the ultimate difference.
Zimbabwe 182 for 4 (Bennett 63*, Raza 45, Hemantha 2-36) beat Sri Lanka 178 for 7 (Nissanka 62, Rathnayake 44, Cremer 2-27, Evans 2-35) by six wickets
Curtesy Sri Lanka Cricket