Zimbabwe Crush Sri Lanka in Harare to Level T20I Series

Zimbabwe Crush Sri Lanka in Harare to Level T20I Series

A sensational bowling performance from Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, and Blessing Muzarabani dismantled Sri Lanka for just 80 runs, as Zimbabwe clinched a comfortable five-wicket victory in the second T20I at Harare, levelling the three-match series 1-1.

Raza, who finished with 3 for 11 in four overs, was named Player of the Match, while Evans (3 for 15) and Muzarabani (2 for 14) shared the remaining five wickets, ensuring Sri Lanka’s batting never found footing. This effort bowled the visitors out inside 18 overs — marking Sri Lanka's second-lowest T20I total in history.

Seamers Set the Tone

Muzarabani and Evans were ruthless with the new ball during the powerplay, reducing Sri Lanka to 37 for 4 within the first six overs.

  • Muzarabani struck early, removing Kusal Mendis with a short wide ball that was mis-hit to deep third, and later dismissed Nuwanidu Fernando caught at mid-off.

  • Evans was equally effective, dismissing Pathum Nissanka with a short delivery and bowling Kamil Mishara with a pinpoint yorker. He returned later to finish off the innings by removing Maheesh Theekshana, caught at cover.

Their early strikes left Sri Lanka in tatters and laid the perfect foundation for Raza to take over in the middle overs.

Raza Cleans Up the Middle Order

With Sri Lanka reeling, Sikandar Raza tightened the screws further in the middle phase, delivering a spell of high-quality off-spin that gave away no boundaries across four overs.

  • He trapped the dangerous Kamindu Mendis for a four-ball duck.

  • In his third over, Raza dismissed Charith Asalanka and Dushmantha Chameera within three balls, effectively ending any hopes of a fightback.

Raza’s miserly and incisive spell saw him finish with 3 wickets for just 11 runs, as Sri Lanka crumbled to 80 all out.

Zimbabwe Cruise Despite Chameera's Burst

Although Dushmantha Chameera offered brief resistance with the ball, picking up 3 wickets, including Tadiwanashe Marumani, Sean Williams, and Raza, Zimbabwe’s modest target meant the pressure never mounted.

Tashinga Musekiwa played a calm and confident knock of 21 off 12 balls*, steering Zimbabwe home in the 15th over, despite a few hiccups.

Chameera could have added a fourth scalp had Asalanka held onto a sharp chance at short midwicket offered by Musekiwa.

Score Summary:

Zimbabwe: 84/5 in 14.2 overs (Musekiwa 21*, Burl 20*; Chameera 3-19)
Sri Lanka: 80 all out in 17.5 overs (Mishara 20; Raza 3-11, Evans 3-15, Muzarabani 2-14)
Result: Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets
Series: 3-match T20I series level at 1-1
Player of the Match: Sikandar Raza

Up Next

With the series now squared, the final T20I promises to be a thrilling decider. Zimbabwe will take confidence from this dominant performance, while Sri Lanka will look to regroup quickly and address their glaring batting concerns.