Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka and storm into Super Eight

Zimbabwe marched into the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup with the swagger of a side that refuses to read the script, completing the group phase unbeaten after a polished six-wicket win over co-hosts Sri Lanka at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.

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Ranked 11th in the world, the African side have been the tournament’s disruptors-in-chief. Having already sent former champions Australia packing last week, they now added 2014 winners Sri Lanka to their growing list of scalps, underlining that this is no flash in the pan but a team riding a serious wave of momentum.

Chasing 179 on a surface that demanded both muscle and method, Zimbabwe found themselves at crossroads when 65 were needed off the last 36 balls. Enter Sikandar Raza, sleeves rolled up and eyes locked in.

The all-rounder flipped the contest on its head in one decisive over from Dushan Hemantha, plundering 20 runs with two towering sixes and a rasping boundary. In the blink of an eye, the asking rate dipped and Sri Lanka’s shoulders sagged.