END OF OVER:50 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | SL: 280/9 (23 runs required, RR: 5.60)
- Maheesh Theekshana4 (4b)
- Nuwan Pradeep5 (2b)
- Blessing Muzarabani10-0-56-3
- Tendai Chatara10-1-52-3
And that's all from me and Sunaadh. Hope you enjoyed the coverage and thanks for keeping us company. We'll be back on Friday for the third and final game, in what is proving to be a gripping ODI series. Good night!
Zim captain and Man of the Match Craig Ervine: "It was quite nice to bat, it was coming on nicely. I thought there was a little bit more in it for the spinners today. I thought in the first game we were bowled a little bit short and wide, and I thought this time the seamers did really well to get those early wickets for us. We were under a bit of pressure to win today, but hats off to the boys for coming out and showing that, you know, desperation to pull off the win."
SL captain Dasun Shanaka: "We didn't look at the scoreboard when it was me and Kamindu. The ball came on nicely in the first half of the inning, and then it was a bit skiddy. We need to have better plans next game. I don't think there will be any pressure. As for today, we didn't bowl well at the start and then our top order also didn't click. Hopefully both will fire in the next game."
David Patterson: "Hats off to Ervine, Williams, Chakabva, Chatara, but my performance of the match was Muzarabani to get early wickets on a good pitch, with dropped catches and keep causing them problems throughout. But a great ZIM team effort overall, thoroughly deserved"
H. Prasanna : "Zimbabwe should be happy with their batting here. Two consecutive good performances with multiple batsmen coming good. And the future looks good wrt bowling. Kudos!"
karan: "This seriously hurts SL's WC dreams...dead last on the points table if we switch to percentage basis."
10.40pm And that's that. Zimbabwe make it 1-1 after a fantastic performance! They identified where they fell short in first game, and simply did better. The batter's once again set a great platform, and while the batting at the death could have perhaps been better, the bowlers were far more accurate with their lines and lengths than on Sunday night as they throttled the Lankan chase.
This meant the Sri Lankan batters were rarely provided freebies, and this was highlighted by the some 100+ dot balls in the innings. It was only a 118-run stand off 120 balls between skipper Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis, and then a 66-run 61 ball partnership between Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne that kept home side within touching distance. Once Shanaka fell moments after reaching his maiden ODI hundred though, the writing was well and truly on the wall, but the Zimbabwean bowlers still kept to their tight lines and lengths and ensured there would be no chance of a late charge.