Dilshan Madushanka’s final over hat-trick propels Sri Lanka to thrilling victory against Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe looked set for a historic win against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the ongoing series. However, pacer Dilshan Madushanka had other plans as a final over hat-trick by the 24-year-old turned the game on its head, with Sri Lanka registering a brilliant win. 

The clash saw the two sides lock horns at the Harare Sports Club on August 29. The game began with Sri Lanka coming in to bat first after losing the toss. The side opened their innings with Pathum Nissanka scoring 76 runs in 92 deliveries, with Nishan Madushka departing for a duck. 

Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama added 38 and 35 runs on the board, respectively, with Janith Liyanage going unbeaten on a score of 70 runs, with Kamindu Mendis scoring 57 runs as Sri Lanka posted a total of 298 runs in the first innings. 

Richard Ngarava was the highest wicket-taker for Zimbabwe with two wickets to his name in the first innings. Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu, Sikandar Raza, and Sean Williams took one wicket each as well. 

Raza’s party spoiled through Madushanka’s final over heroics

Aiming to chase down a target of 299 runs, Zimbabwe opened their innings with Brian Bennett departing for a duck, alongside Ben Curran, who scored 70 runs in 90 deliveries. 

Furthermore, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza amassed 57 and 92 runs, respectively, with Tony Munyonga going unbeaten on a score of 43 runs. Raza and Munyonga looked set to propel Zimbabwe to a stellar win. However, Dilshan Madushanka took centre stage and bowled a final over for the ages. 

After an otherwise subpar spell, Madushanka took the wickets of Raza, Brad Evans, and Richard Ngarava in quick succession. Turning the game on its head, he finished his spell with four wickets to his name as Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe by seven runs. 

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