Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe to fight for T20I tri-series final berth against Pakistan

Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the fifth match of the tri-nation T20 International series on Tuesday night.

Both teams have defeated each other in one match each and with the win Sri Lanka is now in the running for the second place out of three teams in the T20I series.

Sri Lanka will play another match on Thursday against Pakistan, who have already qualified for the final with six points without losing any match so far.

At the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and decided to bat first and scored 146 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. 

Zimbabwe’s first wicket fell for a total of five and the second for a total score of 17, however, the batters who came after him continued to play cautiously. 

Raza was the prominent scorer for Zimbabwe with 37, Brian Bennett 34 and Ryan Burrell 37 runs. 

Mahesh Thekshana and Winindu Hasaranga took 2 wickets each while Dasan Shanaka took 1 wicket. 

In reply, the Sri Lankan team achieved the required the target of 147 runs in 16.2 overs for the loss of just one wicket. 

Sri Lanka’s Kamil Mishra was dismissed by Brad Evans for 12 runs, while Kusal Mendis scored 25 and Patham Nissanka remained unbeaten on 98 runs with 11 fours and 4 sixes. 

Sri Lanka’s Patham Nissanka was declared the player of the match for playing an unbeaten winning innings of 98 runs. 

If the Zimbabwe team had won this match, they would have reached the final directly, but now if Sri Lanka also wins against Pakistan in their fourth match, then the Sri Lankan team can reach the final that will be played on November 29.