AI Simulation, ZIM vs SL | Nissanka and Madhushanka shine at Harare as Lankans maintain dominance against Chevrons

‌Pitch and Weather

The surface in Harare was slow and dry and assisted the seam bowlers with a bit of seam movement early on and the spinner managed to get some grip and turn as the game progressed.

It was a nice and sunny day at the venue with the temperature ranging from 27-30 degrees Celsius.

Toss

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first

Lineups

Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams (c), Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Tony Munyonga, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.

Match Report

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat once again in the last and final ODI game of the series. The two openers began the innings with a cautious approach. The duo had put on 43 runs for the opening stand before Nishan Madhushka was finally dismissed in the ninth over by Richard Ngarava. It was another slow start for the visitors, with the score reading 48/1 after 10 overs. Despite the wicket in the power play, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis formed a decent partnership with some sensible cricket in the middle. While Nissanka continued to play the anchor role, Mendis decided to play some attractive shots to up the scoring rate. This partnership made sure that the runs kept flowing at a brisk rate until Mendis was finally dismissed by a straighter one from Sikandar Raza in the 20th over, which brought an end to his incredible knock of 54 off 63 deliveries. Though the breakthrough gave the Chevrons a bit of hope, Nissanka carried on with his innings along with Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka at the other end and took the score to 123/2 after 25 overs. With another partnership forming and Asalanka starting to play some big shots, the hosts were once again on the back foot. However, they finally got back in the game with Raza returning for another spell and dismissing the Sri Lankan captain for 38 in the 33rd over. Trouble started brewing as Nissanka started to lose partners at the other end, with Blessing Muzarabani dismissing Sadeera Samarawickrama and Janith Liyanage cheaply. The Island nation was suddenly stuck in a tricky position with only 57 runs coming in the next 15 overs as the score read 180/5 after 40 overs. With the runs drying up, Nissanka succumbed under the pressure as he was dismissed in the 42nd over after getting cleaned up by a straight and full ball by Ngarava. As the openers, calm and composed, knock of 77 off 95 deliveries finally came to an end, the Lions' tail was finally exposed. In spite of the dismissal, Kamindu Mendis, along with some small cameos from Dushmanta Chameera and Maheesh Theekshana, ensured crucial runs were scored towards the end and finished the innings on a decent total of 268/8.

The Zimbabwe batter also struggled against the new ball like the Lankans, and they succumbed to the pressure in the fifth over itself, with Dilshan Madhushanka's terrific outswinger finding Ben Curran’s outside edge, which ended up carrying to second slip. However, Brian Bennet and Brendan Taylor made sure the team recovered and ended the power play on a decent score of 49/1 after 10 overs. Unfortunately, the hosts suffered another big blow as Bennet was dismissed by a beauty by Theekshana in the 13th over when the partnership just about started to look threatening. While the wicket of Bennet might have put them in a spot of bother, Taylor was joined by Sean Williams at the other end as both batters formed a great partnership to keep their team in the game. The two batters were set at the crease as the match was still alive, with the score reading 122/2 after 25 overs. With two experienced batters at the crease, the home team seemed to be in a comfortable position until Theekshana arrived for another spell and dismissed Taylor on a score of 45 in the 30th over. However, the wicket did not cause much damage as Raza joined his skipper at the crease with some fearless strokeplay. The score after 40 overs was 193/3, with Zimbabwe needing 75 runs off the last 60 balls to draw the series. As things started to go the African nation's way, Chameera changed the tide in the 43rd over with a wicket of Williams, who was finally dismissed for 62 off 73 deliveries. Raza followed suit in the next over, as he was deceived by an off-cutter by Madhushanka, as he failed to convert his start of 39 off 42 deliveries into a big knock. With both set batters out, the wickets started to tumble with Chameera cleaning up Tony Munyonga with a toe-crushing yorker and Bradley Evans getting dismissed by Asitha Fernando in the 45th over. This sudden collapse was the last straw for the hosts, and the game finally ended in 48.5 with Madhushanka uprooting Muzrabani’s middle stump. The Island nation bundled the hosts out for 251 and sealed the series with a 17-run win. 

Player of the Match

Pathum Nissanka was the player of the match for his calm and composed knock of 77 on a tricky surface at Harare.

Scorecard