- By Himanshu Badola
- Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in match 38 of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday, February 19. This was Zimbabwe's third win in the tournament, ending the group stage with another incredible performance.
This has been a historic tournament for Zimbabwe so far, having already made it to the Super 8s stage. They stand at the top of group B with three wins and 7 points after four games. After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a challenging total of 178/7 in their 20 overs on the back of a half-century from Pathum Nissanka. The star opener continued his outstanding form and went on to play a magnificent knock of 62 runs in 41 balls with the help of eight fours. On the other hand, Pavan Rathnayake came up with a fiery contribution of 44 runs in just 25 deliveries, hitting three fours and a couple of sixes.
For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, and Graeme Cremer took a couple of wickets each. Muzarabani has going through an impressive touch and is now the third leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine scalps at an average of 7.89.
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Chasing the target, Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani gave Zimbabwe a brilliant start and stitched a much-needed 69-run opening stand. They had crucial partnerships in the middle before losing the wickets. Bennett went on to hit a match-winning half-century. He was the top run-getter with a 63-run unbeaten knock of 48 runs, hitting eight fours. Skipper Sikandar Raza made a huge impact with 45 runs in 26 balls. He smashed two fours and four sixes.
"It can always get better. We can win the first game of the Super Eight - it always can get better. We keep our sights forward. But if I bring myself to the present, the effort the boys have shown over the last two weeks, I don’t think anybody gave us a chance to be where we are. So win people’s hearts and earn their respect, it’s a wonderful position to be in," Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said at the post-match presentation. He was also named the Player of the Match.