Craig Ervine 50 helps Zimbabwe draw level in ODI series vs Sri Lanka

HAMBANTOTA: Craig Ervine hit a quickfire 69 to help Zimbabwe pull off a four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the rain-shortened fourth one-day international and level the five-match series at 2-2 in Hambantota on Saturday.

Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis revised target of 219 in 31 overs, Zimbabwe rode on Ervine’s 55-ball unbeaten knock to win with 10 balls to spare at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium.

Earlier, openers Niroshan Dickwella (116) and Danushka Gunathilaka (87) put together 209 runs in Sri Lanka’s 300-6 --becoming the first pair in ODI history to score back-to-back double century partnerships.

The left-handed batting duo had put on a 229-run match-winning stand in the previous ODI on Thursday at the same venue but their efforts went in vain the second time around.

Solomon Mire (43) and Hamilton Masakadza (28) set up the Zimbabwe chase before teenage leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who took three wickets, got the openers trudging back.

But Ervine and Malcolm Waller (20) made sure the chase remained on track with their 43-run sixth-wicket partnership after rain interrupted play for over one-and-a-half-hours. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 300-6 in 50 overs (N Dickwella 116, D Gunathilaka 87, C Mpofu 2-61, M Waller 2-44) lost to Zimbabwe 219-6 in 31 overs (S Mire 43, C Ervine 69, W Hasaranga 3-40) by 4 wkts via D-L Method.