Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 5th ODI - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka, 2017 Venue: Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota Date & Time: Jul 10, 09:45 AM LOCAL

Raza celebrates Zimbabwe's rare series win © AFP

Captain comments

Graeme Cremer: "It was (tense).. I don't know how to put it, but we were under pressure. But we knew it was just a matter of one small partnership and Raza did it for us. The chase turned around pretty quickly, but happy to have finished it off well. We knew they expected us to start with seam, Raza gave us the ideal start with wickets in the first 10 overs. I always call heads, thought, I will change my call, it worked out well. Special win for us, the fans back home must be jumping with happiness. We knew we were playing good cricket to put them under pressure, winning in Sri Lanka is huge for us."

Angelo Mathews: "We were outplayed in all three departments. Credit to Zimbabwe, they gave us a tough time. It was a difficult track to bat on, but 203 was way below standards. Our bowlers bowled very well, Malinga was good, Dananjaya came good. The openers have taken responsibility, but the rest didn't support them enough. No issues with my hamstring."

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Zimbabwe's own finisher?

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203 42

Build up

The five-match ODI series between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka has witnessed several twists and turns. However, it is the young Zimbabwe team that has held its nerve to chase down a couple of sizeable totals.

For a side that was beaten once by Netherlands and Scotland, Zimbabwe have shown resilience during their tour of Sri Lanka so far. Hamilton Masakadza, Raza, Mire, Craig Ervine and Co. have all been in good form. Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lankan captain, on the other hand, is under immense pressure.

Sri Lanka's batsmen have made tall scores but have been let down by their bowlers and some below par fielding. So can Sri Lanka win the last game of the rubber and keep their proud record of not having lost a series against Zimbabwe intact? Or will the African country register a memorable series win? Toss and teams in a while.

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