Dickwella gives Lanka big win
Hambantota, July 6: Openers Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka hit sublime centuries to help Sri Lanka humble Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the third one-day international in Hambantota on Thursday.
Chasing 311 for victory, the hosts rode on a 229-run opening stand between Dickwella (102) and Gunathilaka (116) to canter home in 47.2 overs and earn a 21 lead in the five- match series.
The left-handed batting duo got their maiden ODI hundreds to overshadow Zimbabwe opener Hamilton Masakadza’s sparkling 111 in the visitors’ 310-8 after being put into bat first.
While wicketkeeperbatsman Dickwella hit 14 boundaries during his stay, Gunathilaka smashed 15 fours and a six to flay the Zimbabwe attack at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.
“It was a fantastic effort by the boys. After losing the first game, we had our backs against the wall and we came back well,” Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews said.
“The way Dickwella and Gunathilaka batted, we could have chased 350 on that wicket,” he said of his team that hunted down a 300-plus run target for the first time on home soil.
Off-spinner Malcolm Waller got Dickwella trudging back to the pavilion and left-arm orthodox Sean Williams cleaned up Gunathilaka, who received the man of the match award, in an otherwise disappointing show by the Zimbabwe bowlers. Upul Tharanga and Kusal Mendis then steered the team home with an unbeaten 75-run stand as the batting duo survived a dropped catch.
“The bowlers came back pretty well after the start they got. Hamilton played brilliantly, credit should go to him as well but they did well to keep them to 310,” said Mathews.
Mathews praised Tharanga, who is unbeaten in the series, for being “an absolute team man” after he again dropped the order for Dickwella and Gunathilaka open the innings. — AFP Brief scores: Zimbabwe 310/8 in 50 overs (H. Masakadza 111, T. Musakanda 48, S. Williams 43) lost to Sri Lanka 312/2 in 47.2 overs (N. Dickwella 102, M. Gunathilaka 116, U. Tharanga 44).