SL hammer Zimbabwe in 3rd ODI, seal series: Records broken
The Sri Lanka cricket team beat Zimbabwe in the third and final ODI to take the series 2-1. Batting first, the Lankans posted a total of 254/9 in 50 overs. Pathum Nissanka scored 55 and Charith Asalanka got a 56-ball 52. For Zimbabwe, Richard Ngarava claimed two scalps. In response, the visitors were bundled out for 70. Here are the records broken.
- After losing the second ODI, Lanka bounced back in style to win the series.
- This was a solid performance with the ball as Zimbabwe crashed with the bat.
- The collapse from the very beginning helped SL gain a stronghold.
- What also mattered was the job done by Lanka with the bat.
- Getting a 250-plus score on a relatively slow wicket was enough.
Lankan openers gave the side a solid platform, adding 80 runs for the first wicket. Zimbabwe kept themselves in the game by taking regular wickets. However, Lankan batters chipped in on a decent note to manage 254/9. In response, Zimbabwe were never in the match. They lost the impetus from the start and faltered to surrender the tie. Only one batter got double digits.
Nissanka scored a decent 66-ball 55 for SL. His innings was laced with six fours. This was his second ODI half-century. Asalanka chipped in well and brought up his fifth fifty in ODI cricket. He now has 472 runs in 11 ODI matches.
Lankan leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay claimed figures worth 4/10 in 7.4 overs. This is his best performance in ODIs. His effort is now the seventh-best for SL versus Zimbabwe in ODIs. Both Nissanka and Asalanka have 146 runs each against Zimbabwe in three ODIs at 48.66 respectively. This was a second fifty for the two in what was their debut ODI series versus Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe (70/10) posted their fourth-lowest total versus Sri Lanka in ODIs. This is their second-lowest score on Lankan soil after being all out for 38 in Colombo back in 2001. This was their fifth score below the 100-run mark against SL in ODI cricket.
