SL vs ZIM 1st T20: Sri Lanka has defeated Zimbabwe by 4 wickets in the first T20 match. This victory just before the Asia Cup will boost the morale of the Sri Lankan team.

Sri Lanka has defeated Zimbabwe by 4 wickets in the first T20 match. This victory just before the Asia Cup will boost the morale of the Sri Lankan team. In this match, Zimbabwe scored 175 runs while playing first. In the match that went on till the last over, Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets remaining. Opener Pathum Nissanka played a brilliant innings of 55 runs; the rest of the work was done by Kamindu Mendis in the death overs, who scored 41 runs in a stormy manner.

Brian Bennett played an innings of 81 runs for Zimbabwe and took his team to a score of 175, but his innings went in vain. Chasing the target of 176 runs, Sri Lanka had a great start as Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis kept the scoreboard moving at a run-rate of almost 10. There was an opening partnership of 96 runs between the two. Mendis contributed 38 runs, and Nissanka contributed 55 runs.

In the last 5 overs, Sri Lanka had to score 58 runs to win, which they did in just 25 balls. Kamindu Mendis especially wreaked havoc on the opposition bowlers and scored 41 runs in just 16 balls. In this cameo innings, he hit one four and 4 sixes.

Sri Lanka has also won the ODI series.

Before the T20 series, the Sri Lankan team had also won the ODI series. In the 3 match ODI series, Sri Lanka clean swept Zimbabwe 3-0 at their home. Especially Pathum Nissanka is in great form, who scored 198 runs in just 2 innings of the ODI series. Now he has scored a fifty in the first T20 match as well. Nissanka has scored at least a fifty in all the three innings he has played on the Zimbabwe tour so far.