ZIMBABWE made up for Sunday’s heartbreak to stun Sri Lanka by four wickets with a ball to spare in the second T20I at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo last night.
The series is now level 1-1 ahead of tomorrow’s winner-take-all at the same venue.
On Sunday Zimbabwe allowed Sri Lanka to get six runs off the last two balls to win the match in what was a demoralising finish to the contest.
Captain Sikandar Raza was thrilled that his pre-match prediction had been fulfilled.
“Like I said in the last game, these are group of boys that will turn this ship around. These are the group of boys that have made a promise to the country and to the fans.
“And if you’d ask me, I’d rather win two games — the first we got really close — but today was really unbelievable. (From 27 for 4 how did the game slip?) I don’t think it slipped, we knew the wicket was going to get better, that there was a bit of moisture and that the first 6-7 overs would be tough.
“Even when we came back to the changing room, I wasn’t angry. I just said they have the momentum, but they haven’t got too many runs and it’s not like we can’t win the game.
“This was a par score. The wicket got really good, but they played some good shots as well.
The whole squad was calm, we didn’t want to get it this close but I always say a close game is good for the fans,” Raza was quoted as saying.
All-rounder Luke Jongwe was adjudged Player of the Match and could not believe what had just happened.
“I don’t think I even have the words to explain how I’m feeling. I’m just grateful to my teammates, and we’ve just been playing really hard to get that win out of the way.
“For the past three months or so I’ve been in similar situations but couldn’t take the team home, I’m just glad and thank God that I was able to do it today.”
That the Chevrons won yesterday’s match off the penultimate ball was unimaginable at the end of the 19th over.
Zimbabwe needed 20 runs off vastly experienced Angelo Mathews’ bowling and the probability of Sri Lanka winning the match and series was overwhelming.
However, there was a twist off the very first ball of the final over as Mathews overstepped and was smashed for a six by man-of-the-match Luke Jongwe.
That meant seven runs for the Chevrons with the six balls still intact.
From a required run rate of 20, it became 13 and Jongwe piled misery on Mathews by smashing a four off the free hit and followed it up with a six to leave the Chevrons needing just three off four balls.
A dot ball and a single off a dropped catch meant Zimbabwe still needed two runs of the last two balls.
Wicketkeeper Clive Madande made sure there was no last-ball drama this time around as he smashed Mathews for a big six over deep mid wicket to seal the four-wicket victory.
Mathews, who had topscored for Sri Lanka and was expecting to be the series winner, conceded 25 runs in five balls as Jongwe snatched the player-of-the-match award for his unbeaten 25 off 12 balls and two for 32 in two overs.
In both innings the Chevrons had squandered good starts to give Sri Lanka the advantage.
Sikandar Raza won the toss and this time decided to bowl while his counterpart suggested he would have batted anyway.
The Chevrons had Sri Lanka in trouble at 27/4 in the fifth over with Blessing Muzarabani narrowly missing out on a hattrick in the second over.
He finished with two wickets for 36 from his four overs.
However, Sri Lanka were allowed to move make 118 for the fifth wicket and they somehow moved from 83/4 after 14 overs to 173/6 six overs later.
Sri Lanka scored 90 runs off the last six overs at an average of 15 runs an over.
The late “collapse” by the Zimbabwe bowlers seemed to swing the match in Sri Lanka’s favour.
However, Zimbabwe’s reply for off to a good start with former captain Craig Ervine and Brian Bennett’s second wicket stand taking the Chevrons to the 13th over.
When Bennett fell for 25 off 20 balls, Zimbabwe were 96/2 after 12.3 overs and it looked a solid foundation as the more experienced trio of Raza, Sean Williams and Ryan Burl was waiting.
But the match swung in Sri Lanka’s favour as the three heavyweights fell for a combined 22 runs with Raza making eight from five balls, Williams one from three balls and Burl 13 from nine.
When Burl departed, Zimbabwe needed 31 runs from 13 balls without a trusted big hitter although Jongwe and Madande had their crazy moments before.
And they combined to snatch victory from jaws of defeat.
Ervine topscored with 70 from 54 balls in what was a crucial contribution to the heroic chase.
Herald
