Mendis, Tharanga steer Sri Lanka to title

Sri Lanka 166 for 4 (Tharanga 57*, Mendis 57, Vitori, 3-52) beat Zimbabwe 160 (Musakanda 36, Williams 35, Gunaratne 3-10, Vandersay 3-50) by six wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details

Sri Lanka followed a clinical display in the field with steady middle-order batting to chase down 161 with 75 balls to spare, completing a convincing six-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the tri-series final in Bulawayo. Kusal Mendis starred with the bat, hitting ten fours in his sparkling 57, to lead Sri Lanka’s robust recovery after they had slipped to 42 for 3.

Mendis was supported by Upul Tharanga in a 75-run fourth-wicket partnership that put the visitors firmly on course for the win. While Tharanga was decidedly scratchy early on, and survived a couple of chances, he took over the mantle after Mendis departed. He wrapped up proceedings by clubbing a four and a six to finish on 57 not out and, more importantly, put the finishing touches on Sri Lanka’s successful tri-series campaign under his captaincy.

Zimbabwe’s slump to 160 all out after opting to bat on a decent Bulawayo track was largely a product of their own failings. A series of soft dismissals and dubious decisions left them chasing the game from an early stage. The dubious decision-making began even before a ball was bowled, with the omission of both openers from the previous match, Chamu Chibhabha and Brian Chari.

That forced Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor to fill the …

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