Zimbabwe Mount 191 To Record Highest T20I Total Vs SL, Here’s Top 4

Aakash Saini

Highest Zimbabwe totals in T20Is vs Sri Lanka [Source: @ZimCricketv/x]Highest Zimbabwe totals in T20Is vs Sri Lanka [Source: @ZimCricketv/x]

Zimbabwe mounted 191-8 in 20 overs in the series-deciding third T20I match against Sri Lanka at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on September 7. The innings marked Zimbabwe’s highest ever T20I total against the island nation, and it occurred just a couple of days after Zimbabwe bowlers knocked out the visitors for just 80.

Attaining new heights with each passing game, at least for the past week, here is a look at four of Zimbabwe’s highest T20I totals against Sri Lanka.

4. Zimbabwe 143-5 vs SL, Colombo 2024

Batting first at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo back in January 2024, Zimbabwe listed a competitive 143-5 in 20 overs. Captain Sikandar Raza led his team from the front in the series opener by punching out a calculated 62 off 42 balls with five fours and two sixes while batting at number four. Opener Tinashe Kamunhukamwe also chipped in with a swift 18-ball 26 at the top of the order before Sri Lankan spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga took over and dominated the middle overs. Nonetheless, Zimbabwe lost the match by three wickets in a last-ball thriller to go 0-1 down in the series.

3. Zimbabwe 175-7 vs SL, Harare 2025

Zimbabwe started off their 2025 home series against Sri Lanka in September by making 175-7 from 20 overs after getting invited to bat first. Opening batter Brian Bennett nearly batted throughout the innings, carting 81 runs in just 57 balls with 12 regal boundaries. Captain Sikandar Raza also scored a pacey 28 in the middle overs. Overcoming every single Sri Lanka bowler, Zimbabwe batters only failed to dispatch visiting paceman Dushmantha Chameera (3-30) in the day. Despite Zimbabwe’s batting brilliance, Sri Lanka managed to eclipse the hosts with four wickets and five balls to spare in a high-scoring cracker.

2. Zimbabwe 178-6 vs SL, Colombo 2024

Zimbabwe scripted history back in January 2024 by pulling off a master heist and recording their first-ever T20I win against Sri Lanka, doing so in Colombo in the second match of the series. Chasing a steep 174 for a win, Zimbabwe opener Craig Ervine led the visitor’s early charge through his counterattacking 70-run knock from just 54 balls with six fours and two huge sixes. Brian Bennett at number three made 25 from 20 to form a crucial 74-run partnership with Ervine.

Luke Jongwe blasted 25* runs in just 12 balls during the crucial death overs as Zimbabwe mowed down Sri Lanka’s 173 to reach 178-6 in 19.5 overs, thus levelling the then three-match T20I series 1-1.

1. Zimbabwe 191-8 vs SL, Harare 2025

Just a couple of days after stunning Sri Lanka at the Harare Sports Club to level the series, Zimbabwe further upped their game and mounted a staggering 191-8 in 20 overs after losing the toss. Opener Tadiwanashe Marumani top-scored in the innings by cracking a fluent 51 from 44 balls with six boundaries and a six. Sean Williams (23 off 11), captain Sikandar Raza (28 off 18) and Ryan Burl (26 off 15) all unleashed cracking 20s in the middle overs to aggregate 77 runs together from just 44 deliveries.

Tashinga Musekiwa (18 off 11) and unbeaten Tony Munyonga (13* off 9) also contributed to Zimbabwe’s breakneck cause against Sri Lanka bowlers in the series-decider as Raza’s group recorded the nation’s fourth highest-ever T20I total at the time against any Test playing nation, and the highest against Sri Lanka.