Zimbabwe's Cinderella-like tournament had a rude awakening in the final game of the Micromax Cup, as they caved to the pressure exerted by the Sri Lankan bowlers. Despite the heavy loss, Zimbabwe will hold their heads up for having performed better than anyone expected them to. As for Sri Lanka, they will be relieved that notwithstanding the loss to Zimbabwe in the previous game, there was no embarrassment for them in store on the big day.
In the six games that preceded the final, the team batting second had always won. Winning the toss, Tillkeratne Dilshan had no desire to put that theory to the test, and put Zimbabwe in to bat. Nuwan Kulasekera troubled Hamilton Masakadza with his swing, and eventually dismissed the opener for 4 off 23 balls. Kulasekera and Dilhara Fernando kept the bowling tight, the latter removing Zimbabwe's hero Brendan Taylor for 19 to a brilliant catch from Thilan Samaraweera when the Taylor was looking settled. With Zimbabwe's two batting match-winners back in the hut, Tatenda Taibu was forced into defensive mode. Craig Ervine was run out trying to get things moving for 9 off 34, and Zimbabwe found themselves going nowhere at 78/3 in the 23rd over. Taibu anchored the innings with a 90-run partnership with Greg Lamb, before the former fell for a fighting 77. Charles Coventry struck three quick 4s before falling, trying to hit out with the batting Powerplay still to be taken. None of the other Zimbabwean batsmen stuck around for much longer, the only other significant contribution coming from Lamb's 37. The home team were bowled out for 199 with still two overs to play.
Needing only 3.98 put no pressure on Tillekeratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga opening the batting for Sri Lanka. Dilshan mixed his typically cavalier approach with some deft nudges and touches, while Tharanga followed suit. The 100 partnership came up in the 17th over, while Zimbabwe were struggling at 50/3. Tharanga passed 3,000 career runs as Dilshan brought his 50 up. Just as both batsmen could think about reaching their centuries, Tharanga was run out by a bad call from Dilshan. It was as much success as the Zimbabwean bowlers had, as Dilshan brought up his 7th ODI century, his first against Zimbabwe and his first as captain shortly before hitting the winning boundary to win the match and the series.
After Zimbabwe's dream run, the tournament ended in a decidedly anti-climactic one-sided affair. From the Sri Lankan's perspective, everything went right when they won the toss. Kulasekera, Fernando, Ajantha and Jeevan Mendis kept the Zimbabwean openers contained and denied the rest of the batsmen a chance to settle in. Dilshan's century will be a welcome return to form for him, before he faces tougher challenges in the Asia Cup, and Upul Tharanga made a good case for his return to the regular Sri Lankan squad. For the Zimbabweans, only Tatenda Taibu had anything to brag about, as none of the other batsmen made any contributions and all the bowlers went wicketless. Disappointed as though they will be with the result, Zimbabwe can hold their head up high for a commendable and promising performance in the tournament. Better things are still to come - hopefully.