Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe: Quick flicks of the day

As host Sri Lanka took an easy victory and two points in the opener, the game at Hambantota didn’t have much on pallet to offer. But just like every rose has a charm and every battle has a lesson to teach, this T20 World Cup match too had its moments.

Dilscoop

A T20 match is incomplete without Dilshan’s trademark scoop shot. It made its first appearance in the World Cup on the third ball of sixth over, when he scooped the length delivery from Chris Mpofu, sending it clear of the short fine leg to the boundary line.

The last Six

Not many sixes were hit and at one point it appeared that Sri Lanka would end without hitting one. But it was in the fifteenth over that Jeevan Mendis hit the first six of the first innings, signalling the launch the slaughter which eventually took them to a formidable total. But the most memorable was Thisara Perera’s hit on the penultimate ball of the last over (the first ball he faced in the innings) which was lifted flat over the square leg for a six, taking Sri Lanka above 180.

The two Mendis

When things were moving at snail’s pace, it was the entry of Jeevan Mendis that imbued life into the dull batting display of the Lankans. In the company of Kumar Sangakkara, he went on to build a 94 runs partnership off 49 balls. In Jeevan Mendis, Lanka found its second promising all-rounder who not only batted responsibly but also bowled those incomprehensible googlies which cramped batsmen, only to force them into throwing their wickets away. He ended up picking three wickets off four overs.

The other Mendis, Ajantha Mendis, made a striking comeback after a long lay-off. His deliveries were hard to pick and rendered it impossible to put up any fight in the chase of 182. Carrom balls and googlies did the trick in ripping off Zimbaweans. He went on to become the first bowler in T20I history to claim 5 wicket haul in a match on two occasions and also, the first bowler to take six wickets in T20 WC.

Seething Sluggishness

Both Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka looked not so athletic on the field. Zimbabwe’s poor fielding, which resulted in grassed catches and overthrows cost them a good deal. While Lanka’s three run out cases was a proof enough of their poor running between the wickets and hesitation to pick singles and rotate the strike.

Seven off one

In a rare occurrence, Zimbabwe scored seven runs off a ball on, what was to be, the penultimate delivery of the match. Brian Vitori pushed at a Malinga delivery and ran 3 before the deep point fielder picked up the ball and managed to throw it to Dilshan at point. Dilshan then proceeded to have a shy at the non-striker’s end and the ball ran away to the boundary for four overthrows. Vitori had thus scored a sevener before Malinga fooled Mpofu with a slower one to end the match.

Sparse crowd and inconspicuous cheerleaders

A low turnout at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium was a disappointing scene, maybe it was owing to the low intensity of the game with Zimbabwe as the opponent. The scene is most likely to repeat in most of the league matches. Things looked even more placid for cheerleaders who too failed to add any spark. Thanks to some drums and vuvuzelas which gave the stadium a feel of T20 World Cup.