After losing their opening game to New Zealand, Sri Lanka found themselves in the rare position of facing first-round elimination. For their part, Zimbabwe found themselves in the rare position of confidence, having defeated the best team in the world (Australia) and the reigning Twenty20 world champions (Pakistan) in the warm-up games. Add to the mix that Twenty20 levels the playing field between teams of opposite experience and skill, and the questionable form the Sri Lankan batsmen have been in, and we had all the makings of a real upset.
Sri Lanka batted first, and yet again, Tillekeratne Dilshan's wicket fell cheaply (2 off 4). His mojo seems to have passed to Mahela Jayawardene. True, the bowling attack might not have been one to write home about, but the way Jayawardene effortlessly brought up his first, and only the fourth, century in Twenty20 International cricket, doesn't leave much room for criticism. Barring the shot that dismissed him, there was never a single ugly swipe or mow in his innings - the bat was straight, the wrists were quick, and the feet moved gracefully. The next highest score in the innings was 23, by Thissara Perera. Kumar Sangakkara had another disappointing time with the bat, scoring only 3 before softly chipping Grame Cremer to the ever-entertaining Ray Price, who, with 4-0-31-2, was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers. Sri Lanka finished their innings at 173/7.
Rain was in the air when it was time for the Zimbabweans to bat, and everybody was left looking at a plethora of confusing scenarios. If the rain persisted such that less than five overs of the Zimbabwean innings could be bowled, the match would be called off; both teams would get a point each, and Sri Lanka's continued presence in the tournament would depend entirely on the Zimbabwe/New Zealand game. If there was enough time for five overs to be bowled, Zimbabwe would face a Duckworth/Lewis target, which would benefit them. From Sri Lanka's perspective, they needed the match to continue as normal, in order to give themselves a better chance of bowling Zimbabwe out without having to worry about net run rates and the result of the Zimbabwe/NZ game.
Ajantha Mendis bowled a tidy opening over before the heavens actually did open. When play resumed, Zimbabwe's revised target was 106 off 11 overs, which necessitated a run rate of 10 an over. Hamilton Masakadza was comically run out in the second over, but Brendon Taylor and Tatenda Taibu rarely deviated from simply nudging the ball from ones and twos. Over the next three overs, there was only one attempt at a boundary (which failed). When the rain returned at the end of the 5th over, at 23/1, Zimbabwe were behind the D/L par score of 43. In that 5th over, Taylor survived both an LBW shout and a run out attempt. Had either been given, the delay in getting a new batsman to the crease might have ensured that the fifth over was not completed, nullifying any result, giving both teams a point and moving Sri Lanka closer to the exit. As it was, the complexities of the situation meant that Sri Lanka benefitted from the appeal being turned down; the fifth over was not interrupted by a dismissal, and the innings - and the game - closed just as the rains returned.
So Zimbabwe lost by 14 runs in a game where Duckworth-Lewis was the only real winner. Sri Lanka will be relieved that they avoided any embarrassment, but the form of their batting lineup (save Jayawardene) will weigh heavily on their minds. Zimbabwe move to the New Zealand game knowing that they troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen with the ball, but their own batting failed to even get close to the D/L par score (even though, at one point, no one knew what the required score was). After a cracking start to the tournament, the rain is threatening to spoil the whole parade.