The competent Zimbabwean dug-out will be definitely unhappy as rain potentially cost them a match against the Lankans in their first encounter at Guyana yesterday. After shocking Australia and Pakistan in two back-to-back warm-up games, this was the least they could have expected.
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With a thundering ton from Mahela Jayawardene, yet Sri Lanka could only establish a total of 173 in 20 overs at the loss of 7 wickets. For Zimbabwe, it would have been an uphill task to chase the total but not impossible. With the presence of a couple of experienced players like Tatenda Taibu and Charles Coventry, there was some hope.
After a cruel intervention by Duckworth-Lewis, Zimbabwe fell short by 14 runs and Sri Lanka emerged victorious, thus qualifying for the Super 8’s. The good news for the Lankans is that Jayawardene has now returned to his full-fledged form in twenty20 cricket. A century early in the tournament is undoubtedly a big boost to his confidence, which ultimately benefits his team.
Zimbabweans play the Black Caps today in their next group game and will be hoping for things to work in their favor. It’s a must win game for them to stay alive in the competition. New Zealand has defeated Sri Lanka in their first match and will be keen on continuing their winning streak by beating Zimbabwe today.
Eoin Morgan's fine innings turned out to be a waste!
In the other game that was played on the same ground, Team England would be left wondering what exactly went wrong for them in their match against host West Indies. Despite a massive 191 total on the board, they were still on the losing side, all thanks to the rain again. The efforts of the English batsmen, especially Eoin Morgan (55 off 35 balls) and Luke Wright (45 off 27 balls) were all in vain as the target was reduced to a minimum of 60 runs required from 6 overs. As the D/L method came into play, it looked like a one-sided affair for West Indies, considering the presence of someone like Chris Gayle on the crease. With the winning runs coming off the bat of Andre Fletcher, West Indies qualified for the Super 8’s.
England take on Ireland today in a must win match today.
It was a rainy day at Guyana yesterday and one can only hope that the upcoming games will not be hampered due to rain.
Edited by: Arpit Kumar
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