Story by Lawrence Trusida
The Zimbabwe national cricket team, the Chevrons, put up a spirited fight but went down by five wickets against Sri Lanka in the second and final One Day International (ODI) at Harare Sports Club this Sunday.
The result saw the visitors seal the two-match series 2-0.
Batting first, Zimbabwe posted a competitive 277 for 7 in their allotted overs.
Opener Ben Curran led the way with a solid 79 from 95 deliveries, while Sikandar Raza contributed a fluent 59 off 55 balls.
Clive Madande chipped in with a quick-fire 36 to give the hosts a late boost.
Sri Lanka, however, successfully chased down the target of 278 in the final over, powered by a brilliant century from Pathum Nissanka.
Despite Zimbabwe making inroads early and late in the innings, the visitors dominated the middle overs to take control of the match.
Reflecting on the loss, Chevrons stand-in captain Sean Williams said the team was not far off, “The series could have gone differently. It could have been 1-1. Today we missed an opportunity to be more aggressive against the off-spinner in the middle overs. The small chances make a big difference at the end of the day, but if we keep working hard, we will eventually cross the line.”
Sri Lanka coach Sanath Jayasuriya attributed their success to discipline and fundamentals.
“We worked hard in both innings, but I think the difference was in doing the basics right,” he said.
Zimbabwe came close in both ODIs but faltered in crunch situations, leaving Sri Lanka to celebrate a clean sweep.
Attention now shifts to the three-match T20 International (T20I) series, which gets underway this Wednesday at Harare Sports Club.
