SL vs Zim, 2nd ODI: Wanidu Hasaranga's hat-trick rattles Zimbabwe

A splendid hat-trick from the debutant Wanidu Hasaranga to go with the chinaman masterclass from Lakshan Sandakan guided Sri Lanka to an emphatic win against the visitors Zimbabwe in the second ODI at Galle. After Zimbabwe managed to chase down 322 in the first match their batsmen failed to replicate anything of that sort, which propelled the Lankans to a relatively easy win.

Centurion of the previous match, Solomon Mire walked back with a duck and the onus was on the experienced campaigners Hamilton Mazakadza and Craig Ervine to take their side to a decent total. After they added 56 runs for the second wicket, part-timer Asela Gunaratne picked up the crucial wicket of Mazakadza and broke the deadlock.

Their bowlers were on the centre post then and scoring every run was quite a challenging task for the visitors. Sandakan then joined the party and sent back Craig Ervine and Sikander Raza back in quick succession. Barring a cameo from Malcolm Waller in the middle, barely anyone got going and with Sandakan snatching a well-deserved 4-fer, Zimbabwe found themselves at 155/7.

Then came a moment of magic from the new kid on the block Wanidu Hasaranga, who picked up Waller, Donald Tiripano and Tendai Chatara in three consecutive deliveries to register an unforgettable hat-trick. The 19-year-old wrist spinner became the third youngest bowler to pick a hat-trick in ODI cricket. He also joined the elite list of talented cricketers in Kagiso Rabada and Taijul Islam after picking a hat-trick on ODI debut.

A walk in the park 

The only period in the entire game when Zimbabwe looked good was when Tendai Chatara ran past the Lankan openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis on consecutive deliveries. After that, the Islanders barely had any problems in condensing the target as Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella stitched a 67-run stand for the 3rd wicket.

Dickwella walked back after notching up a crucial 35-run knock and that laid a perfect platform for skipper Angelo Mathews to walk in. Tharanga completed his half-century soon after and both these veterans upped the ante as they inched closer to the target.

The southpaw finished the game off with a flick of the pads towards mid-on and the Lankan fans had something to cheer about after quite a long time. It was a sweet revenge for Mathews and co for what happened a few days ago at the same venue as the hosts won the match by 7 wickets and 119 balls to spare. Sandakan was awarded the man of the match award for his incredible spell of bowling as he returned with figures of 10-0-52-4.

Brief Scores:

Zimbabwe: 155 all out in 33.4 overs (Mazakadza 41, Waller 38, Sandakan 4/52, Hasaranga 3/15)

Sri Lanka: 158/3 in 30.1 overs (Upul Tharanga 75*, Dickwella 35, Chatara 2/33)