Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe in 2nd ODI, seal series: Stats
What's the story
Sri Lanka have won the second and final ODI match against Zimbabwe by five wickets. The victory, which came with three balls to spare, also gave them a 2-0 series win. The match was played in Harare on Sunday. Chasing a target of 278 runs, Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka scored a century while Charith Asalanka contributed with a half-century to guide their team to victory.
Match highlights
Nissanka, Asalanka shine for SL
Nissanka scored a brilliant 122 runs off 136 balls, while Asalanka made a valuable contribution of 71 runs off just 61 balls. Their 90-run partnership was instrumental. The duo shared a stand of over run-a-ball, which ensured brisk scoring through the middle overs. This was one of the key differences between the two teams as Zimbabwe had scored 139 runs for four wickets between overs 15-40, while Sri Lanka added more runs with fewer wickets lost.
Chase strategy
SL's chase in brief
Sri Lanka started their chase steadily, with Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama all contributing valuable runs. However, it was the partnership between Asalanka and Nissanka that really broke the spine of the chase. Sri Lanka scored 278/5 in 49.3 overs. Janith Liyanage scored a 16-ball 19* late on. Richard Ngarava managed 2/53 and Brad Evans picked 2/54 for Zimbabwe.
Innings summary
How did Zimbabwe fare with the bat?
Zimbabwe's innings was led by contributions from opener Ben Curran, who smashed 79 from 95 balls. Sikandar Raza scored a valuable 59 from 55 balls. Clive Madande also scored 36 runs from 36 balls. For Sri Lanka, Dushmantha Chameera picked a three-fer whereas Asitha Fernando bagged 2 wickets. However, it wasn't enough to defend against Sri Lanka's steady chase. The match ended with Kamindu Mendis hitting a boundary off a Ngarava yorker to seal the victory for his team.
Nissanka
Pathum Nissanka surpasses 4,000 runs in List A cricket
Nissanka ended up scoring 122 runs from 136 balls. He hit 16 fours. He was dismissed in the 45th over by Richard Ngarava. Sri Lanka were 236/4 when Nissanka departed. As per ESPNcricinfo, Nissanka entered the 4,000-run club in List A cricket with his 2nd run of the contest. He entered the match with 3,998 runs at an average of 38.81 from 112 matches.
ODIs
7th ODI century, including two versus Zimbabwe
This is Nissanka's 7th century in ODIs. He also owns 17 fifties. He has raced to 2,746 ODI runs at an average of 41.60 from 71 matches. Versus Zimbabwe, this is his 2nd ODI century. He also owns three fifties. In six matches versus Zimbabwe, he owns 445 runs, averaging 89. Notably, he is yet to hit a six versus Zimbabwe.
Information
Asalanka smashes his 4th fifty-plus score versus Zimbabwe
Asalanka scored 71 runs from 61 balls. He hit 7 fours. Asalanka has raced to 2,621 runs at 43.68. This was his 17th fifty in ODIs (100s: 5). In nine games versus Zimbabwe, he has 324 runs at 46.28. He slammed his 3rd fifty versus Zimbabwe (100s: 1).
Curran
Zimbabwe's Ben Curran impresses once again
Zimbabwe opener Curran continued his rich vein of form in ODI cricket. After scoring a fine 70 in the 1st clash, Curran slammed another half-century in the 2nd ODI. Curran added two 50-plus stands, with Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor, during his stay. In eight ODIs, the Zimbabwe opener has raced to 340 runs at an average of 48.57. His tally includes three 50-plus scores (100s: 1 and 50s: 2).
Raza
Sikandar Raza slams his fifth ODI fifty against Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza continued his rich vein of form. After scoring a fine 92, Raza slammed another half-century (59) in the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka. He slammed 92 off 87 balls in the thrilling series opener. In 153 ODIs, the Zimbabwe opener has raced to 4,476 runs at an average of 36.99. His tally includes 31 50-plus scores (100s: 7 and 50s: 24). Notably, Raza slammed his 14th ODI fifty at home.
Chameera
Dushmantha Chameera dents Zimbabwe with three-fer
Chameera finished his spell with 3/52 from 10 overs. The veteran pacer has now raced to 63 wickets from 56 ODIs at an average of 34.25 (ER: 5.46). His tally includes a four-fer and a five-wicket haul. The 33-year-old has managed just eight wickets across 12 ODIs against Zimbabwe at 48.
Information
SL pick up their 51st ODI win over ZIM
This was Sri Lanka's 51st ODI win over Zimbabwe from 66 matches. Zimbabwe own 12 wins in this H2H summary. Three games have not seen any results.