Brian Bennett celebrates his fifty runs at some stage in the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo | Picture:
AP
Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Zimbabwe defeated the co-hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets in their last community-stage fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday.
With this uncover, Zimbabwe finished at the tip of Team B with three wins in four suits. Their last match against Eire used to be washed out, which helped them enter the Tall Eights and knock Australia out of the tournament. Earlier, that they had defeated Australia and Oman in the tournament.
Chasing a traumatic goal of 179 runs, the Sikandar Raza-led facet started with a blazing open when the openers added 69 runs for the critical wicket. The wicketkeeper-batter Tadiwanashe Marumani made 34 off 26 balls, at the side of 5 fours and a six.
The other opener batter, Brian Bennett, remained unbeaten once more and played a match-a hit knock of 63 runs off forty eight balls with the back of eight fours. He is but to be brushed off in the tournament.
He made his 2d half of-century of the tournament, which is moreover his 12th in T20Is. Bennett moreover joined Sean Williams in the list of most 50s for Zimbabwe in T20Is. Both are most efficient slack Raza (17). This used to be his third unbeaten knock after making forty eight not out against Oman in their opening fixture while chasing a modest goal of 104 runs, and making 64 not out off 56 balls while batting first against Australia in their 2d community-stage match.
Dunith Wellalage supplied the critical breakthrough to Sri Lankans in the ninth over when Marumani lost his wicket. Ryan Burl replaced him at the crease, and he made a short 23 off correct 12 balls, at the side of a six and some fours.
Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka brushed off him in the 12th over and Raza came to the crease. Raza started with about a singles, then shifted gears. He took the role of aggressor and saved hitting boundaries from one terminate.
Bennett saved rotating strike, and Raza saved finding the boundaries. The duo added 69 runs for the third wicket, which shifted the momentum of the match. When Raza lost his wicket in the Nineteenth over, Zimbabwe had been on the point of a hit the match.
With 13 runs most fundamental in the last two overs, Dushan Hemantha came to bowl and brushed off Raza and Tashinga Musekiwa, while conceding correct 5 runs.
Now, eight runs had been most fundamental in the final over, and Maheesh Theekshana came to bowl. But Tony Munyonga welcomed him with a six to shift the match in Zimbabwe’s favour once more. He took a single on the following birth, and Bennett finished the hotfoot-creep with a cracking boundary and handed the Chevrons their 2d-highest a hit hotfoot-creep in T20Is.
Here’s the fifth uncover of Zimbabwe against a beefy-member nation team at the T20 World Cups.
Zimbabwe hit seven sixes while chasing, which is essentially the most by Zimbabwe in a T20 World Cup innings.
Here’s moreover the 2d-highest a hit creep at Colombo RPS in T20Is, slack 215 runs chased by Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy in 2018.
Here’s moreover the 2d-highest a hit creep against Sri Lanka in T20 World Cups, after England’s 190 runs creep at Chattogram in the 2014 version.
This used to be moreover Sri Lanka’s twenty fifth defeat at this venue in Colombo. They bear got played 34 suits and bear won most efficient nine suits.
Earlier, opting to bat first, Sri Lanka started with a correct slither, adding 54 runs in the critical 5 overs. Pathum Nissanka played one other mighty knock and made 62 runs off 41 balls, at the side of eight fours.
Pavan Rathnayake moreover chipped in with a short 25-ball 44, which helped Sri Lanka jam a mighty entire. Wellalage’s 15 not out helped the Lankan Lions reach 178/7 in 20 overs.
Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans and Graeme Cremer took about a wickets every. Raza used to be named Player of the Match for his impactful knock.
Now, Zimbabwe will clash with the West Indies in their first match of the Tall Eights at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday. Sri Lanka, on the opposite hand, will rob on England in their first Tall Eights match on Sunday in Pallekele.
