ZIM vs SL

The teams have less than 24 hours to recover and come back on the field once more for the third and final match which will also be the decider of this T20I series. Sri Lanka will want to forget it and come back fresh while Zimbabwe would want to draw as much as they can from this performance and take this into tomorrow when we will come back at the same time, same place. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal taking your leave on behalf of Bidipto Datta and the entire team. Cheers!

Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe captain and Player of the match, 3/11 off 4 overs): "The good thing about playing good cricket is that results will come your way! We have been playing some good cricket, but now, we have tasted victory. Today, we were clinical. Yes we could have been better still here and there, but on the whole, we were the better side. Blessing (Muzarabani) and (Tinotenda) Maposa have been thoroughly professional, Ngarava has led the attack well, and everyone has put his hand up. We will celebrate this win, but it is a really quick turnaround, so, we will give it everything tomorrow to win the series." 

Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka captain): "I think, simply lost too many wickets in the power play. When I went out to bat, I thought 130-140 might be a good score, I agree that it is not the best of pitches, but we should have done better. In this format, 80 is not enough." 

4:14 PM Local Time, 7:44 PM IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Zimbabwe win by 5 wickets with 34 balls to spare and level the 3-match series 1-1

Tashinga Musekiwa 21*(14) | Sikandar Raza 3/11(4)
Kamil Mishara 20(20) | Dushmantha Chameera 3/19(4)

An absolute dominant performance from the hosts, what a way to get your first win of the year over a full-member side as they get home with more than 5 overs to spare and with 5 wickets in hand. The crowd in the stands at the Harare Sports Club sensed something special in the first innings itself when Zimbabwe suffocated Sri Lanka and now the job has been finished in the second innings with relative ease and the series moves to a decider tomorrow in the third match.

Hoping to defend 80 was always going to be just a mere hope and nothing more, Sri Lanka did try to make it a match as Chameera reduced Zimbabwe from 20/0 to 27/3 within a couple of overs but that was perhaps the only bright spot for the visitors in this match who were poor on the field as well, especially skipper Asalanka.

Zimbabwe needed only half a decent performance with the bat and a 20* from Burl and a quickfire 21* from Musekiwa sealed the deal as they crossed the finish line quite comfortably in the end.

The truth is that the job was done in the first half itself as they bundled out Sri Lanka for just 80, second-lowest total for Sri Lanka in T20Is. Muzarabani and Evans set it up with two apiece in the powerplay before Raza continued the carnage with three wickets in his four overs as Sri Lanka failed to get going and were shot out for a shambolic score.

14.2 Dushan Hemantha to Tashinga Musekiwa, WE HAVE A DECIDER TOMORROW! ZIMBABWE GET A WIN AND A REALLY GOOD ONE! Leg-break on the good length on off-stump. Musekiwa rocks back and slams it over cover to seal the deal with a boundary! 

14.1 Dushan Hemantha to Tashinga Musekiwa, FOUR RUNS! Flighted around off-stump. Musekiwa gets onto the front foot and drives it handsomely through cover to pick up a boundary! 

Chameera finishes with 3/19 and safe to say that with him finish Sri Lanka's slimmest of slim chances. Only 5 needed for a win for Zimbabwe now, their flag is flying high in the stands and the trumpet is blowing loud too. They can see the finish line.

13.5 Dushmantha Chameera to Tashinga Musekiwa, short around off-stump again. Musekiwa has nothing to do with it, he sways away from the line. 

13.3 Dushmantha Chameera to Tashinga Musekiwa, OH! Yorker on off-and-middle. Musekiwa manages to squirt it away past leg-stump for a brace to fine-leg! 

13.1 Dushmantha Chameera to Tashinga Musekiwa, length ball around off-stump. Musekiwa gets forward and angles the bat towards the left of backward point for a brace. 

Zimbabwe are two hits away now, theoretically. It has to be now-or-never for Sri Lanka and that is why it is Dushmantha Chameera [3.0-0-14-3] into the attack once more. 

12.6 Dushan Hemantha to Ryan Burl, short and turning back in on middle-and-leg. Burl tried to turn it to square-leg but the extra bounce on it did not help! No leg-bye.