Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe meet in the third SL vs ZIM T20I on Thursday, January 18. The match starts at 7 pm IST and both teams are looking to win the decider in Colombo.
The series began with a three-match ODI series in which Sri Lanka won the series 2-0. SL T20I skipper Wanindu Hasaranga scored career-best ODI figures of 7/19 to lead the hosts to a series victory.
Sri Lanka bounced back with a win in the first T20I in Colombo to take the lead in the three-match series. Luke Jongwe’s heroics ensured Zimbabwe won the second T20I and took the series to the final. This was Zimbabwe’s first victory in a T20I against the Islanders.
Chasing 174 to win, Zimbabwe needed 200 to win in the final, with Jongwe and Clive Madande (15*) leading the team to the finish line. ODI captain Craig Ervine initially anchored Zimbabwe’s chase. Sikandar Raza, the T20I captain, scored just 8 points in this must-win clash. Finally, it was the 33-run stand between Jongwe and Madande that took Zimbabwe to the finish line.
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Zimbabwe’s victory in the second T20I set up the perfect decider in Colombo. The hosts have faced the African nation in the T20I series. They have been practically surpassed in the first two games. Zimbabwe made life difficult for the SL batsmen who won the first T20I by three wickets in the 20th over.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Board, headed by chief selector Upul Tharanga, named three different captains for three different formats. Dhananjaya de Silva was named new Test captain, Kusal Mendis ODI captain and Wanindu Hasaranga the new T20I captain.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be led by Sikandar Raza. He also has experienced players to turn to. Craigb Ervine, Sean Williams, Blessing Musarabani, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe and Richard Ngarava form the core of the Zimbabwe team. Before the T20I series started, Zimbwwe were winless against Sri Lanka and now they have a potential chance to win the SL vs ZIM T20I series.
Talking about the head to head between SL and ZIM, both teams played 64 ODIs with the Lankans winning 49 matches and the Zimbabweans 12. Zimbabwe finally won their first T20I against Sri Lanka by winning the second T20I. In five T20Is between the two sides, Sri Lanka has won four and Zimbabwe one. ZImbwbe is yet to win a test match against Sri Lanka.
SL vs ZIM Head-to-Head Record Overall Statistics
| Format | Matches | Sri Lanka won | zimbabwe won | Tie/Abandoned/NR |
| Proof | twenty | 14 | – | 6 |
| ODI | 64 | 49 | 12 | 3 |
| T20I | 5 | 4 | 1 | – |
| Total | 88 | 66 | 13 | 8 |
SL vs ZIM head to head records in T20Is
| Games played | 5 |
| Sri Lanka won | 4 |
| Zimbabwe won | 1 |
| Tied | 0 |
| Without results | 0 |
| SL % of wins | 80% |
| ZIM Win % | twenty% |
| Played for the first time | 2008 |
| Last played on | 2024 |
SL vs ZIM head to head records in ODIs
| Games played | 64 |
| Sri Lanka won | 49 |
| Zimbabwe won | 12 |
| Tied | 0 |
| Without results | 3 |
| SL % of wins | 76.56% |
| ZIM Win % | 18.75% |
| Played for the first time | 1992 |
| Last played on | 2024 |
SL vs ZIM head-to-head records in testing
| Games played | twenty |
| Sri Lanka won | 14 |
| Zimbabwe won | – |
| Tied | – |
| Drawn | 6 |
| SL % of wins | 70% |
| ZIM Win % | – |
| Draw % | 30% |
| Played for the first time | 1994 |
| Last played on | 2020 |
Head-to-head records between SL and ZIM in T20Is: Third T20I, 2024
- Games played – 5
- Sri Lanka won – 4
- Zimbabwe won – 1
- Most runs for Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews – 182
- Most wickets for Sri Lanka: Ajatha Mendis-6
- Most runs for Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza-70
- Most lands for Zimbabwe: Muzarabani Blessing-4
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