There was an air of intense anticipation in Rawalpindi, though not because the result was in doubt. Sri Lanka were cruising towards victory against Zimbabwe, yet every pair of eyes inside the ground was fixed on one man: Pathum Nissanka, and whether he could reach a century. As the 17th over began, Sri Lanka required just 10 runs to win, but Nissanka needed 12 for what would have been his second international T20 hundred.
Richard Ngarava heightened the drama by sending down a wide first ball. Nissanka seized the next delivery and drove it to the boundary, moving to 92. The equation suddenly became tighter: Sri Lanka needed five, Nissanka needed eight. Two boundaries would have sealed his milestone, but the opener decided not to get tangled in arithmetic. Instead, he launched a towering six to end the chase emphatically, remaining unbeaten on 98 off 58 balls.
The victory keeps Sri Lanka alive in the race for the final of the tri-nation T20 series. Their fate now hinges on their last league match on Thursday: a win against Pakistan would take them into the final, but a defeat would eliminate them due to an inferior net run rate compared with Zimbabwe.
Earlier, Zimbabwe posted 146 for five after choosing to bat. Captain Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl top-scored with 37 apiece, though the total always looked slightly below par. Sri Lanka’s reply was authoritative from the start, racing to 64 for one in the powerplay. After Kamil Mishara fell for 12, Nissanka and Kusal Mendis calmly finished the job.
Nissanka’s innings carried more than match-winning value. In the process, he overtook Kusal Perera to become Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer in T20 internationals. His tally now stands at 2,326, followed by Perera on 2,305 and Mendis on 2,232 — a three-way contest that is becoming increasingly fascinating.