Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka to seal Super Eights spot as Bennett and Raza shine
Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka to seal Super Eights spot as Bennett and Raza shine
Zimbabwe chase 179 in 19.3 overs to beat Sri Lanka, with Bennett notching 63* and Raza 45, clinching a spot in the Super Eights.
Zimbabwe backed their push into the Super Eights with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Group B clash, as Bennett’s measured 63 not out off 48 balls and Raza’s 45 off 26 powered the chase. Chasing 179 on a sluggish surface, the Africans sped past the target in 19.3 overs to enter the next round with a clean slate. The opening duo Bennett and Tadi Marumani (34 off 26) gave Zimbabwe a blistering start, reaching 55 for no loss in the Power Play and piling on 69 for the first wicket before Marumani fell to Dunith Wellalage. Ryan Burl contributed a quick 12 before being dismissed for 23, but the real turning point arrived when Raza took charge, blasting boundaries in the 15th and 16th overs to tilt the equation in Zimbabwe’s favor. Raza was eventually dismissed by Dushan Hemantha in the 19th over, leaving Zimbabwe needing just 8 off the last over, which Munyonga sealed with a colossal six off Maheesh Theekshana. Earlier, Sri Lanka’s batters found it tough against the Zimbabwean spinners on a slow pitch, struggling to pick gaps in the middle overs, though the chase was always within reach for the visitors given the flat 179 required. The result means both sides had already progressed to the Super Eights from Group B, and Zimbabwe will be buoyed by a strong group phase showing, including a prior win over Australia.
