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| @Teammates congratulate Muzarabani after he takes a wicket vs Sri Lanka at Harare 2025 |
On September 6, 2025, Zimbabwe played a dominant role and won the second T20I against Sri Lanka by 5 wickets at Harare Sports Club to tie the three match series 1 to 1. Sri Lanka fell to their second lowest T20I score of 80-runs, and Zimbabwe had to reach the small target of 81 in 14.2 overs, which they did at 84/5 with 34 balls remaining. The game featured the bowling and batting strength of Zimbabwe and the resilience of their bowling, and isohand to the team Captain Sikandar Raza was awarded the title of Player of the Match due to his all-round efforts. This was the greatest T20I performance of Zimbabwe against a Full Member country and it topped up the previous triumph against Pakistan in 2021
Match Overview:
The game was in Sri Lanka on a tour of Zimbabwe in the year 2025 and was played at Harare Sports Club where the skies were clear and Zimbabwe had won the toss and opted to play in the first place. This move was also tactical because their bowlers used the situation to destroy the batting line up of Sri Lanka. The winner at the first T20I by a margin of four wickets, Sri Lanka was unable to cope with the pressure brought about by the disciplined attack of Zimbabwe. The pursuit of the hosts, glitchy as it was, was cushioned by a consistent input by Tashinga Musekiwa and Ryan Burl and a comfortable win is achieved that prepares an exciting series decider on September 7, 2025.
Sri Lanka’s Batting Collapse:
The innings of Sri Lanka did not start on a good note as Blessing Muzarabani hit in the first over to dismiss Kusal Mendis who made only 1-run, getting caught by Richard Ngarava thanks to a rogue ball. The visitors were devastated by the powerplay which left them 37/4 by the sixth over. Brad Evans removed Pathum Nissanka (8) with a sharp catch by Tony Munyonga and Nuwanidu Fernando (1) by a catch at mid-off removed by Muzarabani. Then Evans bowled out the Sri Lankan top scorer Kamil Mishara (20 off 20).
Failing to provide the Sri Lanka with any relief the middle overs did not. A laboured 26 run sixth wicket stand by Captain Charith Asalanka (18) and Dasun Shanaka (15) was full of close calls and lacked fluency. Sikandar Raza was also brought into the attack and he left a spree of destruction with his off spin taking 3 wickets in his four overs at just 11 runs. Among his victims were Kamindu Mendis (0) sacked lbw, Asalanka and Dushmantha Chameera within a few consecutive balls and Sri Lanka was reeling at 38/5 by the seventh over. Sean Williams came in to sack Shanaka and Evans completed the innings by getting Maheesh Theekshana caught at cover and bowling Sri Lanka out in 17.4 overs with a 80. Blessing Muzarabani (2/14) and Brad Evans (3/15) played equally vital roles by sharing eight wickets with Raza so that Sri Lanka could not have any momentum.
In later reflections, Asalanka attributed the batting failure to the fact, that, during the powerplay, we lost too many wickets. I believed 130-140 was a good score on this pitch but 80 is no good in this format. The overall result was the second lowest T20I total Sri Lanka had ever had and the lowest by a Test-playing country against Zimbabwe, which underscored the strength of the bowling attack of the hosts.
Zimbabwe’s Chase:
In pursuit of a modest 81, the batting line up of Zimbabwe was challenged early. Dushmantha Chameera, the Sri Lankan star bowler, struck twice in rapid fire eliminating Tadiwanashe Marumani (17 off 12) and Sean Williams (0), in the fourth over and Zimbabwe was left at 20/2. Captain Sikandar Raza (2) was then soon after caught by Chameera who ended with a score of 3/19 and Brian Bennett (19) was caught by Binura Fernando, leaving Zimbabwe with 53/4. At 61/5, when Tony Munyonga (3) was caught by a low ball off Maheesh Theekshana, the chase seemed briefly to have been on dangerous ground.
But Tashinga Musekiwa (21 not out after 14 balls) and Ryan Burl (20 not out after 22 balls) stabilized the situation by an unbroken 23-run partnership, the sixth-wicket combination. Musekiwa was aggressive and his 21, which was done by covering three fours was a superb way of clinching the victory. He used successive limits to beat Dushan Hemantha in the 15th over to steer Zimbabwe to 84/5 with 5.4 overs to the chase. The composed knock shown by Burl with two fours served as a very important support. The two were very cool and calculative with their bat which made sure that Zimbabwe crossed the line without any more drama and the team won a historic victory.
Key Performance and Reaction:
All-round brilliance got Sikandar Raza the Player of the Match award. Combination of his 3/11 with the ball and two catches meant that the Sri Lanka batting was broken and his man-management established the atmosphere of a clinical performance by Zimbabwe. Raza was grateful about the victory as he said, we were upset because we lost in the previous games but we did not panic. This victory grants us hope and we hope we continue to get better. He complimented the environment and the belief of the team in themselves and the necessity to remain calm even after previous failures.
Brad Evans (3/15) and Blessing Muzarabani (2/14) played a key role in curtailing Sri Lanka, and their powerplay wickets put the stage before the dominance of Zimbabwe. In the case of Sri Lanka, the only bright spot of the otherwise poor bowling performance of Chameera was 3/19. Asalanka was not shy to acknowledge the weaknesses of the team, especially on the powerplay, and on the necessity of improved batting usage in the series decider
Series Context and Prospect:
The win was a milestone to Zimbabwe as it not only balanced the series but it also registered their best T20I victory over a Full Member country. This performance with its professionalism highlighted Zimbabwe in developing, as the previous standard was their 2021 victory over Pakistan.competitiveness. The third T20I is the only remaining match of the series, to be held on September 7, 2025, at Harare Sports Club and which will begin at 11:30 AM GMT. Zimbabwe will seek to continue their flow and Sri Lanka will seek to rejuvenate and fix their batting weaknesses.
Raza still had hope in his team to win a series he told him, we are supposed to win a series since we have been playing good cricket. Sri Lanka will, meanwhile, have to seek solutions to their top-order ills and cash in on their bowling strengths in order to seal the series. Both teams have demonstrated that they are fighters and the match will be a hotly-contested one.
The win of 5 wickets of the second T20I of Zimbabwe, was a credit to the bowling discipline and batting resilience. By limiting Sri Lanka to 80 only and pursuing the target with relative ease they demonstrated their possibilities to fight stronger sides.
Combined effort of Sikandar Raza with his general heroics along with excellent contributions by Musekiwa, Burl and Evans, this was a win of remembrance to the Zimbabwe cricket. With the series heading to a decider the fans could look forward to an exciting battle to decide who gets the final prize in this tightly contested T20I battle.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 80 all out in 17.4 overs (Kamil Mishara 20; Sikandar Raza 3-11, Brad Evans 3-15) lost to Zimbabwe 84/5 in 14.2 overs (Ryan Burl 22); Tashinga Musekiwa 21; Dushmananta Chameera 3-19).
