Sri Lanka secured a four-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the opening match of their three-match Twenty20 international series in Harare on Wednesday.Zimbabwe set a target of 175-7 in their allocated 20 overs, with Brian Bennett leading the charge with 81 runs. Sri Lanka successfully chased down the target, reaching 177-6 with five balls remaining.Pathum Nissanka continued his impressive form from the ODI series with a crucial 55 runs. The 27-year-old right-handed batsman had previously contributed a half-century and a century in Sri Lanka’s 2-0 ODI series win.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Nissanka’s 15th T20 half-century was an aggressive innings, featuring four fours and two sixes off just 32 balls. His innings ended when Tadiwanashe Marumani caught him off Tinotenda Maposa’s bowling.Sri Lanka experienced a brief collapse after Nissanka’s dismissal, losing four wickets for just 10 runs in 19 balls, reaching 106-4.Kamindu Mendis stabilized the innings with an unbeaten 41 off 16 balls, including four sixes. He found support in Dushan Hemantha, who remained not out on 14.Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarava was the standout bowler, claiming 2-19 in his four-over spell.Bennett’s innings of 81 fell just short of his T20 career-best score, marking his fifth half-century in the format.His innings concluded when Dushmantha Chameera’s yorker uprooted his middle stump while attempting a scoop shot. Chameera finished with figures of 3-30.Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza was the only other batter to make a significant contribution, scoring 28 before Nissanka caught him at deep midwicket off Hemantha’s bowling.The teams will meet again for the remaining matches on Saturday and Sunday.
