And Sri Lanka have done it! Length ball on off, Chameera chips it in the air but safe towards deep midwicket and they easily run two. Zimbabwe fall agonisingly short, Sri Lanka scrape through by the skin of their teeth as they take a 1-0 lead in the series!
Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 1st T20I at Colombo, SL v ZIM, Jan 14 2024 - Match Result
This is the highest match aggregate (287) involving Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe in T20Is
Masakadza has broken the record for most catches by a fielder in an innings (4) in T20Is for ZIM, going past Vusi Sibanda's 3
And on that note, it's a wrap from us. A cracking start then to this T20I series, and if the remaining two games are half as entertaining we're in for a scorcher of a series. The next game will be on Tuesday, same time, same place, so be sure to join us for that. Fidel's report should be up in a bit, but for now on behalf of the team, this is Madushka signing out!
Kashif Hayat: "Sikandar Raza gets nominated for so many awards but he should be given the award of most heartbreaks. For last 5-6 years he gives his everything but ends up on the losing side with his team in a stronger position. Never loses hope and comes back stronger in next game."
Neil: "Maybe I'm in a minority, but I don't always think the MOTM should go to someone from the winning team. Mathews was amazing, but Sikandar Raza with 62 and 3-13 in 4 overs was even better!!"
Wanindu Hasaranga: "Our bowlers did a great job but our batters should do better. We kept them to 143, and our batters should've gotten us there more easily. We should have better wickets, but our batters still need to show more responsibility. In the middle overs we played a lot of dot balls, that was one mistake. We have a really balanced side, if we play better in the middle overs we could've chased this down better."
Sikandar Raza: "This has been the story of Zimbabwe cricket for some time now. But the good thing is everyone understands that the onus is on us to change our fortunes. Very proud of the way we fought today, but unfortunately it's one of those games that's gone to the last ball and we haven't come out on top. I think sometimes the demons of the past come and haunt us but I'm still very confident that these are the group of boys that will change the fortunes of Zimbabwe cricket. Initially I wasn't sure about the way the wicket was changing, but even at the 10-over mark I was saying that 145 would be a decent score on this wicket. But credit to Sri Lanka, needing 37 in the last three overs, the way they batted and finished they put us under pressure. But I thought it was a decent score on this wicket. [Enjoying your cricket?] I would've enjoyed myself a lot more had we won the game. My personal enjoyment comes when we win. My personal enjoyment will be there when we turn Zimbabwe cricket around. That is a promise we have made to our country, that is a promise we have made to our fans. There is no enjoyment until we turn that ship around."
Angelo Mathews is the Player of the Match for his 46 off 34: "It felt like I was playing my debut, you know playing after three odd years. I wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone. It was an opportunity for me to go out there and play for Sri Lanka. It was a bit of a slow wicket, not easy to bat on, and I think Dasun played really well towards the end. It wasn't easy, Zimbabwe played really well. It was a challenging total and we needed to get a good start. Unfortunately we lost early wickets and then kept losing wickets in crucial periods. Fortunately for us I stuck in there and then Dasun played brilliantly towards the end."
Alright, time then for the post-match presentations
Hayes: "How on earth have they done that?" --- Think Zimbabwe will be asking themselves precisely that.
Eranga Gune: "SL should re-arrange their batters from bottom to top as they can count on their tail than the top batters."
Naveen: "I heard a voice saying, Why Shanaka should be in this team. You got your answer buddy... "
Azweer : "Well Played Zimbabwe... Tough luck tonight... "
Ran: "as a Sri Lankan supporter I hope Raza is the MOM."
Spare a thought though for Sikandar Raza, whose 42-ball 62 with the bat was followed with a nearly match-winning bowling effort of 3 for 13.
10.25pm Well what an exhilarating finish to this game and exhilarating start to this T20 series! Sri Lanka have snuck through by three wickets, and off the last ball! And is if it was scripted in the stars it was the wily veteran Angelo Mathews, playing his first T20I in some three years, leading the way with a 38-ball 46, along with the deposed skipper, Dasun Shanaka, whose unbeaten 18-ball 26 ensured his side were in the game right up to the death. Neither though would grab the winning runs, that honour would go to Dushmantha Chameera who scrambled six runs off the final two deliveries to give the home fans some much-needed cheer.
And would you believe it, Chameera has somehow found a boundary! Short ball, Chameera goes for the pull and doesn't know much about it, but it flies over the keeper and one bounce over the ropes!
6 needed from 2 but, crucially, Shanaka will not be on strike. Instead it will be Chameera
Mathews holes out! Length ball and Mathews goes for all the marbles, but he can't get enough on it. The slog sweep is held on to well by Masakadza at deep midwicket!
Another short one, pace-off but this time Mathews can't get bat on it
50 stand as well! in the midst of the mayhem
Now down to third man! Deftness under pressure from Mathews! Short ball follows Mathews, but he just opens the face and guides this between the keeper and a very fine short third
Lofted down the ground! Perfect start to the over if you're a Sri Lankan. This was full and straight, Mathews makes room and strikes a dream lofted drive
Muzarabani given the ball
Farai Leboho: "This reminds me at the T20 world cup, when Zim defended 7 in the last over against Pakistan"
shasha: "Honestly as a SL fan it is frustrating how many of these unnecessary pressure situations sri lankan team put themselves."
14 needed off the last over
Scooped for four! It's another missed yorker, Shanaka goes across, gets low and plants this scoop to perfection!
full and straight, Ngarava gets down quickly to his right in his follow through to save a crucial single here
Short, and the umpire says it's too far down leg. And what's this? It looks like Raza is asking for a review. He thinks there might have been some bat here as Shanaka had hung his bat in the air as the ball passed. Replays though show the bat is nowhere near the ball
Ngarava pulls up in his run-up. The mind games are well and truly on
Finds the boundary! Misses the yorker this time, as Shanaka takes the low full toss and carves this to the point boundary!
Cracking yorker! Just misses offstump, but crucially Shanaka misses too
full and straight, whipped towards deep midwicket. Just the single
short ball, 132kph, looks to pull but this one rushes him. Miscue goes towards short cover for one
Looks for the wide yorker but this is too wide outside off
26 needed from 12 as Ngarava is about to bowl his final over
low full toss slapped hard but long-off is in place
Full on off, Mathews looks to work this onside but is struck on the front pad - outside the line of off - as they run one. Looks like there might have been some bat there too
Jongwe runs in but pulls out at the last second
full and quick now, Shanaka makes room and leathers this drive into the covers but deep cover point keeps it to one
Slower ball deceives Shanaka! Short leg cutter and Shanaka is early on the pull as he misses
full and straight on off, dug out down to long-on for a single. Better from Jongwe, Zimbabwe need more of that
Mathews with the scoop! This was a good length outside off, but Mathews goes across and lifts this over fine leg in the circle
Williams was about to bowl, but after some discussion it's decided that Jongwe will get the ball instead.
Hayes: "Saw the score and thought Raza must have something to do with it. Even I'm shocked by just how good his numbers read today."
1W | 1W | |||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | |
Toss | Sri Lanka, elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2023/24 |
Player Of The Match | |
Series result | Sri Lanka led the 3-match series 1-0 |
Match number | T20I no. 2432 |
Hours of play (local time) | 19.00 start, First Session 19.00-20.30, Interval 20.30-20.50, Second Session 20.50-22.10 |
Match days | 14 January 2024 - night (20-over match) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee |
Over 20 • SL 144/7