🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 M38: SL vs ZIM at Colombo🏏 - Page 3

Sikandar Raza: We wanted to bowl first anyway. Looking at the conditions and the chance of drizzle, under lights it plays better from our previous experience. So it’s a win-win situation. Our bowlers are full of confidence, and the conditions give them the best chance. Hopefully, we can restrict them to a low score. I still think, as a group, it changes a lot for us. Topping the group and going into the Super stage is a big deal. We know there’s going to be a full house as well. It’s about gaining more respect and hopefully turning a few Sri Lankan fans into Zimbabwean fans today. That’s another tick. These are habits - once you build good habits, they stay with you. For us, it’s about getting into a winning habit, putting ourselves in winning positions, and closing games. Those habits are still a big tick for us. We’ve got the same side as the last game.

It is time for the toss. Raza and Shanaka out there in the middle. Raza to call. He calls heads, but tails it is. SL will bat first.

Teams:

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza(c), Dion Myers, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan

Pitch and conditions:

It’s been cool, but down in Colombo it is hot and humid. Let’s have a look at the boundary dimensions first - 71 metres to my left, 76 metres to my right, and a monstrous 82 metres straight down the ground. Looking at this pitch, it looks like a good one. There’s a bit of grass on offer, which tells me it could be slightly sluggish. What’s interesting is the lengths that have been effective for spinners across the three venues here in Sri Lanka. At the SSC and Pallekele, spinners have bowled slightly fuller because there’s more pace and bounce. But here at the R. Premadasa Stadium, with the pink ball, the effective length is slightly shorter. The ball stays lower and tends to skid through, which makes it harder to get underneath. Scoring runs here isn’t about taking the fielders on - it’s about hitting the gaps and running the opposition ragged. You can still get to around 170, which is a score that really puts the opposition under pressure. - Russel Arnold, Aaron Finch.

Qaaid: "Wait, is Chameera injured too or just being rested? " -- Rested, by the looks of it.

Duncan: "It seems a little odd that, if ZIM win today, all the unbeaten teams will end up in the same group, thanks to the pre-seeding. "

Mustafa Moudi: "Polite Enquiry: If Both Sri Lanka and Australia had got Eliminated, How would Groups of the 2 Teams that qualified decided ?? " -- If in a First Round Group, neither seeded team qualifies, the Group winner will take the place of the seeded team 1 and the runner-up will take the place of seeded team 2.

Sandheep Uday : "Shouldn't the super eight fixures change if Zim best SL and end up as group toppers here?" -- No, they will not. Because...pre-tournament seedings.

3

4 1 1 0 4 Wd 1 (12 runs)

SL 32-0

Pathum Nissanka

15(10)

Kusal Perera

16(8)

Wellington Masakadza

1-0-12-0

Thank you, Parm, for the thread and for tagging.

It is difficult to predict who will win this game!!

SL

(9.3/20 ov) 80/1

ZIM

Sri Lanka chose to bat.

CRR: 8.42

• Last 5 ov (RR): 28/1 (5.60)

Live Forecast: SL 180

Graeme Cremer to Pathum Nissanka, 2 runs, fifty for Pathum Nissanka! Fraction short outside off, Pathum Nissanka plays it late, steering this through backward point for a couple of runs. Gets a standing ovation from his teammates and the crowd at the R. Premadasa

SL-- 86/1 after 10 overs.

Dushan Hemantha to Sikandar Raza, SIX, thumped, very full from Hemantha, but it's right in the slot and Raza disdainfully hammers it back over the bowler's head, a 101m hit and Colombo has been silenced

6

Dushan Hemantha to Sikandar Raza, SIX, crunched, the attempted wrong 'un from Hemantha, but he's dragged it short - Raza swivels across and then thumps the pull over mid-wicket for a maximum

SL 178-7(20)

ZIM 135-2(15.2)

CRR:8.8

REQ:9.43

Zimbabwe need 44 runs in 28 balls

Saurabh: Looks like we are going to witness another Super Over today!