Colombo, Feb 19 (NationPress) Brian Bennett took charge of the chase with a composed unbeaten half-century, while Sikandar Raza delivered a pivotal late surge as Zimbabwe achieved a stunning six-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka in their Group B encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

In pursuit of a challenging target of 179, Zimbabwe was bolstered by a solid opening partnership between Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani. The pair accumulated 68 runs for the first wicket, with Marumani aggressively contributing 34 runs off 26 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Bennett, on the other hand, settled in after an early chance and gradually built up the tempo.

Zimbabwe stood at 78/1 at the halfway point, maintaining a steady required run rate. Ryan Burl added further momentum with a brisk 23 off 12 balls, including a towering six, before Sri Lanka's captain Dasun Shanaka intervened to momentarily halt the onslaught.

The pivotal moment came during a rapid partnership between Bennett and Raza. With the chase delicately balanced, Raza launched an aggressive counterattack, smashing four sixes and two boundaries in his 45 runs off just 26 balls. His explosive batting, especially against the spinners, swung the momentum decisively in favor of Zimbabwe, alleviating pressure on the visitors.

Bennett achieved his half-century off 41 balls, exhibiting maturity as he anchored the innings by rotating the strike effectively and capitalizing on loose deliveries. Zimbabwe amassed 46 runs between the 15th and 17th overs, effectively securing their dominance over Sri Lanka.

Despite Sri Lanka's late efforts to stage a comeback with Dushan Hemantha dismissing Raza and Tashinga Musekiwa in quick succession, Munyonga displayed composure under pressure. He struck a vital six in the penultimate over, and Bennett concluded the match with a boundary through extra cover, remaining unbeaten on 59 from 47 balls.

Earlier, Sri Lanka had set a total of 178/7 in their 20 overs, but Zimbabwe's disciplined bowling effort kept the score within reach.

This victory marked Zimbabwe's second-highest successful chase in T20 internationals and ensured they finished the Group B stage unbeaten, topping a table that also included Sri Lanka, Australia, and Ireland. Although Sri Lanka enjoyed moments of control, they were ultimately undone by Zimbabwe’s precise batting in the death overs.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 178/7 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 62, Pavan Rathnayake 44; Graeme Cremer 2-27, Blessing Muzarabani 2-38) lost to Zimbabwe 179/6 in 19.3 overs (Brian Bennett 59*, Sikandar Raza 45; Dushan Hemantha 2-36) by six wickets.