Colombo: Sri Lanka rode on a composed half-century from Pathum Nissanka and crucial late contributions from Pavan Rathnayake to post 178/7 in their Group B clash against Zimbabwe here at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka made an aggressive start as openers Nissanka and Kusal Perera attacked the new ball with confidence. Perera set the tone early with crisp strokeplay, pulling and driving with authority to score 22 off just 14 balls, including four boundaries.
Nissanka complemented him perfectly, showcasing elegant timing through the off-side and sharp placement square of the wicket as the pair raced to 54 inside five overs. Zimbabwe’s breakthrough came through Blessing Muzarabani, who dismissed Perera with a short ball, but Sri Lanka maintained momentum as Nissanka anchored the innings.
He brought up a fluent half-century off 34 deliveries, mixing controlled aggression with clever strike rotation. His knock of 62 off 41 balls, studded with eight fours, ensured Sri Lanka crossed the 100-run mark in the 12th over and remained firmly on track for a big total.
However, Zimbabwe’s spinners, led by Ryan Burl and Graeme Cremer, fought back effectively in the middle overs. Burl produced a sharp leg-break to stump Kusal Mendis for 14, while Cremer dismissed the well-set Nissanka with a superb catch at backward point, triggering a brief slowdown. Cremer’s variations and bounce proved particularly effective as Sri Lanka lost momentum between overs 12 and 15.
The innings regained impetus through a counterattacking cameo from Pavan Rathnayake, who scored a brisk 44 off 25 balls. Rathnayake injected urgency with inventive strokeplay, including two sixes and three fours, while adding valuable runs alongside Dasun Shanaka during a crucial phase.
Zimbabwe’s seamers struck back at key moments, with Muzarabani and Brad Evans picking up important wickets in the death overs to restrict Sri Lanka’s surge. Evans removed Rathnayake and Dushan Hemantha in quick succession, while Muzarabani finished with two wickets to keep Sri Lanka in check.
Despite the late strikes, Sri Lanka found a strong finish through Dunith Wellalage, whose unbeaten 15 off eight balls featured three boundaries in the final over. His late flourish ensured Sri Lanka collected 14 runs off the last six deliveries, pushing the total to a challenging 178/7.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 178/7 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 62, Pavan Rathnayake 44; Graeme Cremer 2-27, Blessing Muzarabani 2-38) against Zimbabwe.
(IANS)
