Zimbabwe take Sri Lanka by surprise in thrilling win
Brian Bennett and Sikandar Raza led Zimbabwe in a stunning comeback against hosts Sri Lanka in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, held Thursday at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
T20 World Cup surprise winners Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in Colombo on Thursday, finishing the group stage undefeated and carrying some winning momentum into the Super Eights.
Chasing 179, they finished 182-4, with three balls to spare, against the hosts at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Ranked 11th in the world, Zimbabwe surprisingly defeated former champions Australia last week.
They also beat Oman and shared the points when their match against Ireland was called off on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe needed a difficult 65 off 36 balls when captain Sikandar Raza hit 20 off leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha, including two sixes and a four, to turn the match around.
Raza and Brian Bennett added 69 off 40 deliveries for the third wicket, and although Raza fell in the 19th over for 45, Zimbabwe easily reached their target.
Opener Bennett batted throughout the innings for 63 not out.
Needing eight off the final over, Tony Munyonga hit Maheesh Theekshana’s first ball for six to calm Zimbabwe’s nerves before Bennett reached the winning boundary.
“We’ve trained for every situation. Then we have the right personnel to field at the right time,” said Raza, who was named player of the match.
“We have all these roles clear, and that’s why you can see the confidence in the dressing room.”
It was Zimbabwe’s second-best run of runs in international T20 tournaments.
After electing to bat first, Pathum Nissanka once again held Sri Lanka’s innings together.
Nissanka had become the tournament’s first century against Australia on Monday, and then scored a solid 62 from 47 balls.
It was his seventh fifty in the T20 World Cup, equaling Mahela Jayawardene for the most runs by a Sri Lankan.
Sri Lanka posted 178-7 against Zimbabwe, as both teams played their final runout before starting their Super Eight campaigns.
Both teams are looking to maintain their momentum in the second phase of the competition.
Pathum Nissanka, who had become the tournament’s first century earlier this week, then scored a solid 62 from 47 balls.
It was his seventh fifty in the T20 World Cup, equaling Mahela Jayawardene for the most runs by a Sri Lankan.
Nissanka and Kusal Perera combined for 54 runs from 30 balls for the first wicket.
He then shared a score of 46 runs from 43 balls for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis.
Pavan Rathnayake was unleashed in the death overs, scoring 44 runs from 25 balls with three fours and two sixes.
Veteran leg-spinner Graeme Cremer was the best of the Zimbabwean bowlers, finishing with 2-27.
Sprinter Blessing Muzarabani took 2-38.
Sri Lanka will open their Super Eight campaign against England in Kandy on Sunday, while Zimbabwe faces the West Indies in Mumbai on Monday.
