SL VS ZIM ODI

Right then! That is it from the coverage of this game! The series is now levelled at 1-1 and the decider will be played on Friday, 21st January 2022. The first ball of this decider will be bowled at 2.30 pm IST (9 am GMT). But as you all know, the buildup will begin well in advance. So please tune in early. Till then, cheers and goodbye!

Craig Ervine, the skipper of Zimbabwe, is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH. He says that the ball was coming on the bat nicely. But Jeffrey Vandersay got a lot of purchase off it and clearly, there was more in it for the spinners.  Adds that in the first game they were a few runs short, but today the seamers did an excellent job, they picked up early wickets. Mentions that they are happy with the team combination so far. Concludes by saying that they were under pressure coming into this game, but hats off to the boys for the win today.

Dasun Shanaka, the skipper of Sri Lanka, says that when he first went into bat, he did not look at the scoreboard and just went on to score runs. Adds that at first the ball was coming on nicely but later the ball was skidding. On being asked if he felt they played with one less batter, he replies that they were a batsman short. He thinks number 8 is a crucial position and concludes by saying that they did not bowl well and also their top-order did not click, and they will look into both the aspects for the next game.

...The Presentation...

Sri Lanka would be very disappointed with the way they fared with the bat, considering that it was a very good surface to bat on. They lost wickets early on in the innings and were under the pump right from the word go. At one point, Sri Lanka were struggling at 63/4 but then it was their skipper, Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis who did the repair work. They both batted with caution at first and once they were set, they started playing their shots. The pair of Shanaka and Mendis stitched together a partnership of 118 runs and that ensured that the hosts were still in the contest. Shanaka also brought up his maiden ODI hundred but perished soon after and Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother. Once the hosts lost their skipper, it was always going to be an uphill task for them and Sri Lanka fell short in the end by 22 runs.

A brilliant allround performance from Zimbabwe has taken them over the line and they would be extremely pleased with their bowling performance. Their bowlers, yet again had decent enough runs on the board to defend and this time they started with a bang by making early inroads. Their new ball bowlers set the tone upfront and they grabbed 3 wickets inside the first 8 overs. Sri Lankans were put on the back foot straightaway and the spinners also did a good job of keeping things tight in the middle. Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani finished with 3 wickets to their name and Wesley Madhevere and Richard Ngarava took one wicket apiece. Overall, it was a fine bowling and fielding performance from Zimbabwe and they deserve to win this game.

What a comeback this has been from Zimbabwe! A comfortable victory for the tourists in the end and they are alive in this ODI series! Sri Lanka would be disappointed as they were in a position to chase this down when Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka were cruising along nicely but have fallen apart at the fag end.

THAT'S IT! Swing and a miss! A slower ball, outside off, on a length. Maheesh Theekshana throws his bat at it but misses. ZIMBABWE HAVE WON THE GAME BY 22 RUNS!

Full, on the pads. Maheesh Theekshana whips this towards deep square leg for brace.

Short, around middle. Nuwan Pradeep miscues his pull shot towards cover for a single.

FOUR! A fuller ball, outside off. Nuwan Pradeep swings his bat and carves this towards point for a cracking boundary.

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Another one bites the dust! A short ball, around middle. Jeffrey Vandersay looks to pull this but the ball goes off the top edge towards the keeper. Regis Chakabva takes a comfortable catch to dismiss Jeffrey Vandersay. Blessing Muzarabani picks up another wicket.

Outside off, on a length. Jeffrey Vandersay swings and misses.

Good-length ball, around middle. Jeffrey Vandersay swings it hard towards deep mid-wicket. Sean Williams runs forward and dives in front to take the catch but it falls short of him. The batters cross for a run.

A wide yorker, outside off. Maheesh Theekshana digs it out to the off side for a run.

Another shorter ball, outside off. Jeffrey Vandersay taps it to point for a single.

Good-length ball, on off. Maheesh Theekshana taps it towards backward point.