The opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 was played between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Played at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota.
Sri Lanka won the match by 82 runs but the day was made special by Ajantha Mendis, who created history for his team by taking six wickets for just 8 runs in 4 overs.
Earlier, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor won the toss and elected to field first. Sri Lanka started with slow note, but an important partnership of 94-runs were made by Kumar Sangakkara (44) and Jeevan Mendis (43 not out), and Sri Lanka made 182 runs in 20 overs.
Zimbabwe came to bat and lost both the openers in the 6th over of the match to Ajantha Mendis with just 37 runs on the board. The spin attack of Sri Lanka shared 9 wickets as Ajantha Mendis (6/8) and Jeevan Mendis (3/24).
The six wickets haul by Ajantha is so far the best Twenty20 bowling figure in the history of Twenty20 cricket.
Talking to media after match, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said, “It is a tough pill to swallow”.
He said, “We are a far better side than what we showed. Credit goes to Sri Lanka. They showed why they are one of the favourites to win the tournament. We have played enough cricket to go back from today, rethink and come back a better side.”
On the other hand, the winning captain of Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardene said, “It’s tough paying a team like Zimbabwe.”
He added, “You can’t take anything to granted. We had to make sure we played to our potential. It’s a pretty good wicket, just needed to get used to it a little bit. Our guys batted really well, and the bowlers then did a super job.”
The Man-Of-The-Match, Ajantha Mendis said, “I am really happy today. Playing cricket after nine months, I am really happy with my performance, and I will try my best in the coming matches.”
