Colombo, Feb 19 (NationPress) Sri Lanka achieved a solid total of 178/7 in their Group B encounter against Zimbabwe at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday, thanks to a composed half-century from Pathum Nissanka and significant late contributions from Pavan Rathnayake.

Choosing to bat first, Sri Lanka started with an aggressive approach as openers Nissanka and Kusal Perera attacked the new ball with confidence. Perera set the early tone with his crisp strokeplay, scoring 22 runs off just 14 balls, including four boundaries.

Nissanka complemented him well, demonstrating elegant timing and clever placement as the duo raced to 54 runs in just five overs. Zimbabwe's breakthrough came courtesy of Blessing Muzarabani, who dismissed Perera with a short delivery. However, Sri Lanka maintained their momentum with Nissanka anchoring the innings.

He reached a fluent half-century off just 34 balls, combining controlled aggression with clever strike rotation. His innings of 62 runs off 41 balls, featuring eight fours, ensured Sri Lanka surpassed the 100-run mark by the 12th over, keeping them on track for a substantial total.

However, Zimbabwe's spinners, led by Ryan Burl and Graeme Cremer, clawed back effectively in the middle overs. Burl's sharp leg-break led to the stumping of Kusal Mendis for 14 runs, while Cremer dismissed the well-set Nissanka with a superb catch at backward point, causing a brief slowdown. Cremer's variations and bounce proved particularly effective as Sri Lanka lost momentum between overs 12 and 15.

The innings regained momentum through a counterattacking cameo from Pavan Rathnayake, who scored a brisk 44 runs off 25 balls. Rathnayake injected urgency with inventive strokeplay, including two sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs alongside Dasun Shanaka in a crucial phase.

Zimbabwe's seamers struck back at critical moments, with Muzarabani and Brad Evans taking important wickets during the death overs to limit Sri Lanka's scoring. Evans quickly removed Rathnayake and Dushan Hemantha, while Muzarabani finished with two wickets, keeping Sri Lanka in check.

Despite losing wickets late, Sri Lanka finished strong, with Dunith Wellalage contributing an unbeaten 15 runs off eight balls, which included three boundaries in the final over. His late flourish helped Sri Lanka secure 14 runs off the last six deliveries, pushing the total to a competitive 178/7.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 178/7 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 62, Pavan Rathnayake 44; Graeme Cremer 2-27, Blessing Muzarabani 2-38) against Zimbabwe.