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Sri Lanka ended on the wrong side of history, slumping to their second-lowest T20I total and lowest all-out total by a Test-playing nation against Zimbabwe in the second T20I at Harare on Saturday.
Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl first, and the decision paid off almost immediately. Blessing Muzarabani struck with the very first ball of his spell in the second over, removing Kusal Mendis to give Zimbabwe an early breakthrough. Sri Lanka's troubles deepened soon after, with Pathum Nissanka falling to a sharp forward-diving catch by Tony Munyonga off Brad Evans. The visitors kept losing wickets in clusters, as Nuwanidu Fernando became Muzarabani's second victim and Kamil Mishara was dismissed by Evans, leaving Sri Lanka reeling inside the powerplay. The collapse continued after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Skipper Raza trapped Kamindu Mendis lbw in the seventh over, reducing Sri Lanka to 38/5. A brief resistance came from Dasun Shanaka and Charith Asalanka put on 26 runs, but Sean Williams broke the stand by dismissing Shanaka with a top edge. Raza returned to the castle Asalanka in the very next over and then trapped Dushmantha Chameera lbw two balls later, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 66/8. The tail offered a short-lived fightback, pushing the score from 66/8 to 79/8, before Dushan Hemantha was run out. The innings ended in the 18th over when Maheesh Theekshana miscued a short delivery from Evans, with Raza completing the catch. Raza was the star performer with the ball, finishing with 3/11 in four overs, while Brad Evans returned impressive figures of 3/15 in 2.4 overs. Zimbabwe chased the target in 14.2 overs, as they finished with 84/5. Ryan Burl (20*) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21*) remained unbeaten and ensured that their team crossed the line. Dushmantha Chameera finished with 3/19 in his four overs. This is now Zimbabwe's best-ever performance against a Full Member in men's T20Is, surpassing their previous record of bowling out Pakistan for 99 at the same venue in April 2021. Zimbabwe have dismissed Associate nations for even lower totals in the past, The Gambia (54), Mozambique (56), Rwanda (71), and Canada (75), but this marks a new high against a top-tier side. (ANI)
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