Underdogs no more! Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka to top Group B

In sport, a healthy dose of self-belief can make athletes perform extraordinary feats. Zimbabwe, buoyed by their 23-run win over the mighty Australians six nights ago, followed it up on Thursday with a stunning six-wicket win over co-hosts Sri Lanka in Colombo.Chasing 179 on a sluggish Premadasa wicket looked daunting, but the Zimbabweans never lost belief. The chase started steadily with a 69-run opening stand between openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani (34 off 26b, 5x4, 1x6).

It was captain Sikandar Raza, however, who defined the chase. Walking in at No.4, Raza struggled initially to find timing and rhythm but Zimbabwe hung on. After 14 overs, 65 runs were needed, and then Raza unleashed himself. In two overs, he tore into Sri Lanka's premier spinners, Dushan Hemantha and Maheesh Theekshana, blasting 32 runs and turning the game on its head.At the other end, Bennett anchored the innings with calm authority. He notched up another unbeaten half-century, a 48-ball 63 that was punctuated with eight boundaries. The 21-year-old steered Zimbabwe through the tense middle overs. They stuttered a bit after losing Raza, for a whirlwind 26-ball 45, and Tashinga Musekiwa in rapid succession the manic final overs, but Bennett calmly hit the winning runs to settle the issue.

Bennett remains undefeated in this T20 World Cup and Zimbabwe remain undefeated as they registered their second-highest successful run chase in T20Is. They finish the league stage as Group B toppers. They have been so impressive that it seems almost implausible that they failed to qualify for the 2024 edition.Earlier, batting first, Sri Lanka’s innings was galvanized by their in-form opener Pathum Nissanka, who hit a 41-ball 62 (8x4) to lay the foundation for the side’s total of 178/7. But tonight's story was about Zimbabwe. Player-of-the-Match Raza summed it up at the post-match presentation, when he said: "Everyone loves an underdog story."Brief scores: Zimbabwe: 182/4 (Bennett 63*, Raza 45, Hemantha 2/36) bt Sri Lanka 178/7 (Nissanka 62, Rathnayake 44, Cremer 2/27) by six wickets.