Sri Lanka slump to their second-lowest T20I total as Zimbabwe romp to series-levelling win
Raza, Muzarabani and Evans shared eight wickets among them to never give the visitors a sniff
Zimbabwe 84 for 5 (Musekiwa 21*, Burl 20*, Chameera 3-19) beat Sri Lanka 80 (Mishara 20, Raza 3-11, Evans 3-15, Muzarabani 2-14) by five wickets
Sri Lanka crashed to their second-lowest T20I total ever, going down for 80 inside 18 overs, as Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, and Blessing Muzarabani shared eight wickets between them. At no point in their batting innings did Sri Lanka stage even a mild recovery. There was a 26-run partnership for sixth wicket, but even that appeared laboured, and had multiple close calls.
Zimbabwe’s top partnership was also worth just 26, but they strung greater periods of batting competence together, even in the face of some penetrative bowling from Dushmantha Chameera. Tashinga Musekiwa’s assured 21 not out off 12 balls helped the hosts stroll to victory in the 15th over.
Muzarabani and Evans boss the powerplay Muzarabani took 2 for 10 from two overs in the powerplay. Evans claimed 2 for 14 from his two. Sri Lanka were 37 for 4 by the end of it. It takes lower-middle order miracles to salvage good batting performances from there.The first wicket was off a poor ball, truth be told. Muzarabani had been expensive in the last match and bowled a wide bouncer that Kusal Mendis tried to punish, only to toe-end aerially to deep third. But then Muzarabani was back to bowling the tight, testing lines he had delivered in the ODI series. He’d have Nuwanidu Fernando caught at mid-off in the fifth over and concede only two boundaries in the powerplay.
Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets in the powerplay, Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, Harare, September 6, 2025
Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets in the powerplay•Zimbabwe Cricket
Evans, meanwhile, took the prize wicket of Pathum Nissanka with a shortish ball on the pads which Nissanka struck to deep square leg. Evans also sent Kamil Mishara’s stumps flying with a yorker. He later wrapped up Sri Lanka’s innings by having Maheesh Theekshana hole out to cover.
Muzarabani took 2 for 14 in the end. Evans’ haul was 3 for 15.
Raza’s middle-overs rampage The seamers delivered Sri Lanka’s middle order on a platter for Raza and he duly gobbled them up. With so many wickets having fallen, Sri Lanka’s batters were watchful, and Raza did not concede a single boundary through his four overs.
He got the dangerous Kamindu Mendis out for a fourth-ball duck. In his third over, he dismissed Charith Asalanka and Chameera in the space of three deliveries. He finished with 3 for 11 off four overs, and was player of the match for these efforts.
Chameera dents Zimbabwe’s small chase It never seemed likely that Sri Lanka could defend this, but Chameera gave it a chance. He was too quick for Tadiwanashe Marumani and Sean Williams, who had his off stump knocked out of the ground. He then had Raza drag onto off stump. Chameera would have had a fourth wicket had Asalanka held a sharp chance offered by Musekiwa, at short midwicket.
Sri Lanka (20 ovs maximum)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Pathum Nissanka
c Munyonga b Evans
8 8 15 1 0 100.00
Kusal Mendis †
c Ngarava b Muzarabani
1 3 5 0 0 33.33
Kamil Mishara
b Evans
20 20 22 4 0 100.00
Nuwanidu Fernando
c Sikandar Raza b Muzarabani
1 3 6 0 0 33.33
Charith Asalanka (c)
b Sikandar Raza
18 23 37 1 0 78.26
Kamindu Mendis
lbw b Sikandar Raza
0 4 4 0 0 0.00
Dasun Shanaka
c Maposa b Williams
15 21 24 0 0 71.42
Dushan Hemantha
run out (Maposa/†Marumani)
7 10 18 0 0 70.00
Dushmantha Chameera
lbw b Sikandar Raza
0 2 2 0 0 0.00
Maheesh Theekshana
c Sikandar Raza b Evans
6 12 15 0 0 50.00
Binura Fernando
not out 0 1 2 0 0 0.00
Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 1) 4
Total
17.4 Ov
(RR: 4.52, 78 Mins)
80
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Kusal Mendis, 1.1 ov), 2-17 (Pathum Nissanka, 3.3 ov), 3-24 (Nuwanidu Fernando, 4.5 ov), 4-37 (Kamil Mishara, 5.4 ov), 5-38 (Kamindu Mendis, 6.5 ov), 6-64 (Dasun Shanaka, 12.6 ov), 7-66 (Charith Asalanka, 13.3 ov), 8-66 (Dushmantha Chameera, 13.5 ov), 9-79 (Dushan Hemantha, 17.1 ov), 10-80 (Maheesh Theekshana, 17.4 ov)
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Richard Ngarava
2 0 11 0 5.50 6 1 0 0 0
Blessing Muzarabani
3 0 14
2
4.66 10 2 0 0 0
Brad Evans
2.4 0 15
3
5.62 11 3 0 0 1
Sikandar Raza
4 0 11
3
2.75 14 0 0 0 0
Tinotenda Maposa
2 0 7 0 3.50 5 0 0 0 0
Sean Williams
4 0 19
1
4.75 7 0 0 0 0
Zimbabwe (T: 81 runs from 20 ovs)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Brian Bennett
c & b B Fernando
19 23 44 1 0 82.60
Tadiwanashe Marumani †
c †BKG Mendis b Chameera
17 12 15 3 0 141.66
Sean Williams
b Chameera
0 2 2 0 0 0.00
Sikandar Raza (c)
b Chameera
2 7 9 0 0 28.57
Ryan Burl
not out 20 22 38 2 0 90.90
Tony Munyonga
lbw b Theekshana
3 6 8 0 0 50.00
Tashinga Musekiwa
not out 21 14 12 3 0 150.00
Extras (w 2) 2
Total
14.2 Ov
(RR: 5.86, 66 Mins)
84/5
Did not bat:
Brad Evans,
Tinotenda Maposa,
Richard Ngarava,
Blessing Muzarabani
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Tadiwanashe Marumani, 3.2 ov), 2-20 (Sean Williams, 3.4 ov), 3-27 (Sikandar Raza, 5.4 ov), 4-53 (Brian Bennett, 9.3 ov), 5-61 (Tony Munyonga, 11.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Binura Fernando
3 0 14
1
4.66 10 1 0 1 0
Maheesh Theekshana
4 0 28
1
7.00 9 3 0 0 0
Dushmantha Chameera
4 0 19
3
4.75 14 2 0 1 0
Dushan Hemantha
3.2 0 23 0 6.90 7 3 0 0 0
