Zimbabwe all-rounder Luke Jongwe spoke about his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka in the second T20I. He said it was a special feat for him as he achieved it against his role model Angelo Mathews.
Luke Jongwa was Zimbabwe’s shining light in the second T20I against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Chasing 174 runs, Zimbabwe fell and lost wickets in quick succession after a fierce start, thanks to Craig Ervine (70).
Sri Lanka looked clear favorites to win the game as Zimbabwe needed 30 runs in the last two overs. Things turned more in their favor after Dilshan Madushanka gave just 10 runs in the penultimate over. With 20 runs needed in the last over and all the big names in the cabin, no one gave the visitors a chance to win.
However, Luke Jongwe stood up for his team and made sure everyone remembered his name. Angelo Mathews bowled a no-ball on the first delivery and the batsman hit it for a six and then followed it up with a boundary off a hit free.
Luke Jongwe almost sealed the game for his team when he also scored six off the next delivery. In the end, Clive Madane dealt the final blow and sealed the match for his team. But all the credit went to Jongwe for the way he brought the veteran Mathews to the cleanup.
While talking about his performance, Luke Jongwe revealed that Angelo Mathews is his childhood hero and used to be on his phone wallpaper. He added that he went through a lot of emotions after his heroic acts. During the press conference, he stated:
“Doing it against Sri Lanka, considering Angelo was one of my role models growing up, is even better. That’s special. It used to be my wallpaper when I was a kid. He was still wearing Gray-Nicolls gear at the time.
“I was still a young man. On Facebook, at one point he was my profile picture. Too many things are happening to me today. There are many emotions. “I’m just grateful to God.”
SL vs ZIM: Wait until the end – Luke Jongwe on his plans
Luke Jongwe spoke more about his plans for the chase. He said that he was aware of the fact that Sri Lanka needed a non-regular bowler and needed to stay calm. He explained:
“I knew they needed one from someone, because Chameera was done and Madushanka was done.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to take any chances against them, wait until they finished last and give myself the best chance.”
The series between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe remains tied 1-1 with both teams winning one each. The stage is now set for the series-deciding third T20I to take place on January 18. Both teams would be eager to put in a good performance and clinch the series.