Zimbabwe defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in the second of their three-match T20I series at Harare Sports Club, with the hosts bowling Sri Lanka for just 80. 

Levelling the series at 1-1, Zimbabwe had elected to bowl first, and Blessing Muzarabani struck with his very first ball, as Sri Lanka opener Kusal Mendis was removed for just one off three balls.

Pathum Nissanka was then dismissed for eight soon after, and the Sri Lankan batting lineup continued to struggle after the powerplay, losing five wickets for just 38 runs by the seventh over.

Kamindu Mendis (0) was trapped lbw by Sikandar Raza (3-11), completing Sri Lanka's half-side loss early. The tourists' tail offered little recovery, despite Dasun Shanaka's best attempts as he reached 15.

With no one else reaching double figures for Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe took to the crease chasing a feeble 81.

Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani registered a combined 36 off 35 balls as the openers, and while Dushmantha Chameera's (3-19) bowling efforts offered Sri Lanka a semblance of hope, a solid middle order saw Zimbabwe finish strongly.

Ryan Burl (20 not out) and Tashinga Musekiwa (21 not out) secured a straightforward victory, reaching 84-5 with 34 balls remaining, despite Tony Munyonga (three) being trapped lbw by Maheesh Theekshana in between. 

Musekiwa

We level the series.

Match Details https://t.co/fecBShznTo#ZIMvSL #ExperienceZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/T8lHcDbL8I

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) September 6, 2025

Data Debrief: Record-setting affair

This match set a new record for Zimbabwe as the lowest total they have bowled out a Full Member nation in T20Is. The previous record was Pakistan's 99, also at the Harare Sports Club in April 2021. 

This is just the second time Zimbabwe have beaten Sri Lanka since the introduction of the format, with Sri Lanka winning six of the eight meetings between the two nations. 

Despite an underwhelming innings, Bennett extended his record as the highest total points scorer in the fixture with 164. 

Saturday's match saw the two sides record the lowest-ever match aggregate (164) in the T20I fixture, outdoing the 202 aggregate score set in 2010.