Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 4th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Sandakan breaks through

Just in the nick of time, Waller under-edged Sandakan to the 'keeper as Sri Lanka broke the threatening stand. Sri Lanka looked a tad flat before picking up the scalp.

Taylor lifts ZIM

Taylor pinched quick singles and picked Sandakan's googly to crack a fine boundary through the cover-region to ensure Zimbabwe made a timely recovery. The African country need Taylor and Waller to convert it into a big partnership.

For the island nation, Kusal Perera dropped a relatively easy chance at deep midwicket to reprieve Taylor. That could prove to be costly. They have already given Waller a chance. Chandimal isn't happy!

Action, drama

More action and drama. Waller inside-edged one off Lakmal onto the pads, but was given out. He rightly took the review and replays clearly showed the inside edge. The very next ball Waller was dropped by Tharanga at square leg. Some luck for Waller.

Stunning catch

Ah, stunning catch from Kusal Mendis. Raza slog swept one to square leg and it was flying. But Mendis timed his jump to perfection to grab a stunner. Superb athleticism. Raza can't believe!

Thisara on song

Thisara is on a roll. The all-rounder dug in short, Mire tried to pull but could only offer a simple catch to the 'keeper. Good short ball as he bent his back to get a hint of bounce.

Zimbabwe lose two

One gets you two. Craig Ervine, who has been in poor form in the series, wafted one into the hands of Tharanga at slip. The Tharanga-Perera combination working for the island nation.

Pradeep injured; ZIM lose Hamilton

Oh, in an attempt to go for a catch, Pradeep tumbled and seemed to have hurt his knee. The only consolation for the Lankan camp is he got up and was able to walk back to the pavilion albeit with a slight limp.

However, Masakadza, who survived that chance, didn't last long as he soon top-edged Perera to Tharanga in the same over.

Two-paced track?

On a slightly two-paced track, Mire and Masakadza were beaten a few times but the focal point for Zimbabwe is the duo is still there. The Lankan pacers are already running their fingers across the seam.

Promising start

The Lankan seamers, especially Nuwan Pradeep bowled too straight as Zimbabwe made a fine start. Out of the first 21 runs, 10 have been extras so far.

Pitch: "It's a new pitch. Another good batting strip, hats off to the curator here. Hardly any cracks, and a belter of a track with true bounce. Once the batsmen get set, they can score freely especially square of the wicket. So the bowlers must make sure there is no width on offer, and need to bowl tight lines. They must make use of the new ball well." Athar Ali Khan thinks that batting first would be a no-brainer for the side winning the toss.

Toss

Zimbabwe have opted to bat. Maybe they want to post a good score and test the Sri Lankan batsmen under pressure. The island nation has struggled to chase targets so far.

Sankadan, the chinaman bowler, replaces Wanidu Hasaranga, while Zimbabwe are unchanged

Build up

The beleaguered Sri Lankan side will aim to bounce back when they take on Zimbabwe in a crucial encounter in Dhaka. A loss to the African country would mean the Asian nation bowing out of the tri-series. Sri Lanka have already lost to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe once each.

The island nation was also dealt a blow when Mathews injured his hamstring for the umpteenth time and was ruled out of the tournament. They would look towards the likes of Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Kusal Mendis, Tharanga, Chandimal and co. to make vital contributions. To make matters worse, Sri Lanka's bowling too has been below par.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, showed their mettle to bounce back after losing to Bangladesh in their opening encounter. Sikandar Raza has been in superb form, while the likes of Masakadza, Jarvis and Chatara have put up useful performances. With a berth in the final at stake, they will look to bring their 'A' game and overcome Sri Lanka for the second time in the series.

Toss and teams in a while...