Theekshana, Janith Liyanage shine in Sri Lanka’s thrilling 2-wicket victory over Zimbabwe

Colombo, Jan 08 (Daily Mirror) - Mahesh Theekshana and Janith Liyanage played pivotal roles in guiding Sri Lanka to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday (08).

With this win, Sri Lanka takes a 1-0 lead in the series as the first ODI was called off due to rain on Saturday.

Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first. They faced challenges in their batting against Sri Lanka in the second ODI. The opening batsman, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, was dismissed in the first over by Dilshan Madushanka, setting a poor start. After losing an early wicket, Joylord Gumbie provided a glimmer of hope with a resilient 30, but the other top-order batsmen failed to convert their starts into significant scores. Craig Ervine's well-played 82 and Ryan Burl's determined 31 added some runs later on, but it wasn't enough to overcome the steady pressure from Sri Lanka's bowlers. Mahesh Theekshana led the attack with four wickets, while Dushmantha Chameera and Jeffrey Vandersay took two each. Zimbabwe ended with a below-par score of 208, setting the stage for Sri Lanka's chase.

Sri Lanka's chase had a shaky start, losing Avishka Fernando in the first over after scoring just four runs. Sadeera Samarawickrama couldn't continue his form and was caught behind to Ngarava. Kusal Mendis and Janith Liyanage put on a 35-run partnership for the third wicket. However, Skipper Mendis was dismissed for 17 in the 14th over, and Charith Asalanka, who scored a hundred in the first ODI, was out for a duck, leaving Sri Lanka at 53/4. Sahan Arachchige joined Janith Liyanage, and they added 37 runs for the fifth wicket. Arachchige was dismissed for 21 in the 26th over.

Former captain Dasun Shanaka failed to continue his form and was dismissed for just seven runs, adding disappointment to the middle-order batting lineup. Janith Liyanage, making his debut appearance in the first ODI against Zimbabwe, played a magnificent innings of 95 runs with six fours and two maximums when Sri Lanka faced a difficult position. Mahesh Theekshana and Liyanage put on a much-needed 56 runs for the seventh wicket. Theekshana scored 18 runs, showcasing his all-round performance. 

When Sri Lanka found themselves at eight wickets down for 172, Jeffrey Vandersay and Dushmantha Chameera concluded the game in the 49th over, reaching a total of 211 for 8. Richard Ngarava played a crucial role for Zimbabwe, taking a five-wicket haul for 32 runs, while Sikandar Raza contributed with two wickets.

Vandersay and Chameera forged an unbeaten 39-run partnership, securing Sri Lanka's first win in 2024. The third and final ODI is scheduled to take place at the same venue on Thursday (11).

Janith Liyanage recieved the man of the match award.

"I must credit our bowling unit for their consistent performances. However, as a batting lineup, we are disappointed with our displays. We cannot continue playing like this. We will rectify our batting in the future," Kusal Mendis said. (Pix: Kushan Pathiraja)