Zimbabwe secured a dramatic victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo on February 19, successfully chasing 179 in just 19.3 overs to claim a six-wicket win. It was an edge-of-the-seat contest, packed with powerful stroke play and disciplined bowling from both sides.
After being put in to bat, Sri Lanka posted 178/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Pathum Nissanka led the scoring with a fluent 62 off 41 deliveries, while Pavan Rathnayake provided momentum with a brisk 44 from 25 balls. Kusal Perera chipped in with 22, but regular breakthroughs from Zimbabwe’s bowlers prevented Sri Lanka from fully capitalizing. Graeme Cremer and Brad Evans were the standout performers with the ball, picking up two wickets each at crucial stages.
In response, Zimbabwe began confidently with openers Tadiwanashe Marumani and Brian Bennett. Marumani contributed 34, while Bennett played a composed and unbeaten knock of 63 off 48 balls to anchor the chase. Ryan Burl added a handy 23, and Sikandar Raza—who earned Player of the Match honors—delivered a blistering 45 off 26 balls. Although Sri Lanka grabbed a few late wickets, Zimbabwe crossed the finish line with three deliveries remaining.
With this victory, Zimbabwe remained unbeaten in Group B to finish at the top of the standings, while Sri Lanka had to settle for second place.