Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 2nd Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

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Sikandar Raza | Player of the Match: No, I think I need to keep doing it all the time (being energetic and electrifying). As a captain, you’ve got to lead from the front in every department. When the team sees the captain turning up for every training session, putting in the hard yards in fielding, bowling, batting it sets a standard. And because we have a young squad, they follow what they see. As an individual, I feel I need to push even more. If my work ethic is strong, it rubs off on the group. That’s exactly why we play cricket the way we do. You want to be out there when the chips are down, doing the tough jobs for the team. I’m a senior guy and I’m the captain, so in those moments the responsibility naturally comes to you. I can’t control the result, but I can control the intent. If I’m willing to step forward, then my team will do the same. (what pleased him the most - batting or bowling?) Neither, to be honest. What pleases me most is the vision from the board down to the team, to take the country forward. When I look around the dressing room and see how the boys carry themselves, how happy they are for each other’s success, that’s the most satisfying thing. It tells me we’re moving in the right direction, with dignity and the right values. It puts us in a good position to reach the final, that’s what a win like this does. Nothing to take away from Sri Lanka, we know how strong they are. They had an off day, it happens, and in a way I’m glad it happened against us. But I thought we were clinical. There are a few things I want to address with the boys privately because we can still be better, but for the most part, 90% of the game, we did the right things today.

Dasun Shanaka: Absolutely, it was a tough one. I think the intent just wasn’t there from the beginning. Credit to the Zimbabwean bowlers, they bowled really well with the right lines and good variation. I feel that if we had shown a bit more intent up top without being reckless, we could’ve done much better. Very disappointing. With the kind of players and experience we have, this performance isn’t acceptable. Most of our guys have played enough cricket to make the most of a pitch like this, and we simply didn’t. These are surfaces where we need to maximise our opportunities, but we failed to do that today. Hopefully with the quick turnaround, we can regroup and come back stronger. Yes, of course. I’m sure he (Jayasuriya) will have a strong word or two. You know the kind of cricket he played, he’s a legend of the game and understands pressure situations better than anyone. He’s always backed us and given us confidence, but unfortunately we couldn’t deliver today. Absolutely. Plenty of matches left. Hopefully we learn quickly and bounce back.

Stats by Roshan Gede

Most POTM awards in Men’s T20Is
22 - Virandeep Singh (Malaysia)
19 - Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
16 - Suryakumar Yadav (India)
16 - Virat Kohli (India)

Zimbabwe quicks today (by lengths)
Full: 1/9, 10 balls, ER: 5.4
Good: 3/6, 20 balls, ER: 1.8
Short: 2/21, 36 balls, ER: 3.5
*excluding wides

Sub-100 all-out totals in T20Is in Pakistan
60 - WI vs PAK, Karachi, 2018
90 - NZ vs PAK, Rawalpindi, 2024
94 - NZ vs PAK, Lahore, 2023
95 - SL vs ZIM, Rawalpindi, 2025

This was the third time that Zimbabwe bundled out a full-member side for under 100 in T20Is. They’d previously dismissed Pakistan for 99 in 2021 and Sri Lanka for 80 in September this year - both in Harare.

Biggest win margins for ZIM vs full-member teams in T20Is
67 runs vs SL, Rawalpindi, 2025
31 runs vs BAN, Khulna, 2016
31 runs vs IRE, Hobart, 2022
26 runs vs WI, Port of Spain, 2010
23 runs vs BAN, Harare, 2021

Zimbabwe’s wins over Sri Lanka in T20Is
By 4 wickets, Colombo RPS, 2024
By 5 wickets, Harare, 2025
By 67 runs, Rawalpindi, 2025

21:30 Local Time, 16:30 GMT, 22:00 IST: Dominant win for Zimbabwe. The tone was set in the opening over when Ngarava hit the pitch hard and got Nissanka's wicket. Maposa followed it with Kusal Perera's in the next over and Sri Lanka never looked like they were in it from then. Rajapaksa ran Kusal Mendis out and then slogged to get himself out. Shanaka waged a lone hand after being given a chance early on when Marumani missed a run-out. There was no help from the others and Sri Lanka at the end played for NRR as the last pair attempted to bat out the overs. A clinical show from Zimbabwe who were quite good in the field. This big win also helps Zimbabwe's NRR. After the game ended, a glum-looking Sanath Jayasuriya had a lengthy chat with Shanaka. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff....

Brad Evans to Theekshana, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!