Zimbabwe Allrounder Blessing Muzarabani Smashes Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews for Consecutive Boundaries to Secure First Win

Zimbabwe allrounder Blessing Muzarabani displayed an extraordinary performance, securing Zimbabwe’s first victory against Sri Lanka in a nail-biting match. Muzarabani’s heroics came during the final over of the match, where he effortlessly smashed consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews, a player whom Muzarabani idolized during his formative years. This stunning turn of events completely transformed Zimbabwe’s chances of victory, with the target reduced to just three runs off four balls.

The match had reached a critical stage, with Zimbabwe requiring 20 runs off the last over. Muzarabani’s admiration for Mathews went far beyond mere inspiration; he had even used Mathews’ image as his social media profile picture in the past. The Zimbabwean cricketer seized the opportunity to repay his idol by showcasing his remarkable skills and delivering a thrilling win for his team.

Muzarabani vividly reminisced about his reverence for Mathews, recounting how he used to have an Angelo Mathews poster as his wallpaper and even set the Sri Lankan cricketer as his Facebook profile picture. He expressed his gratitude to experience such a momentous occasion in his career, stating, ‘There’s too much happening for me today. There are a lot of emotions. I’m just grateful to God.’

Muzarabani’s innings began cautiously, and he patiently waited for the opportune moment to strike. He arrived at the crease in the 17th over and initially registered only one boundary in his first seven deliveries. However, he strategized his approach, recognizing that Sri Lanka needed an over from one of their allrounders to bridge the gap.

‘I knew they needed one over from someone, because Chameera was done and Madushanka was done. I told myself I wasn’t going to take a risk against them, and wait until the last over, and give myself the best chance,’ Muzarabani explained.

Zimbabwe’s victory came as a result of excellent bowling performances, which restricted Sri Lanka to 140 runs. Muzarabani himself contributed to the team’s success by bowling in the death overs. He also acknowledged that the wicket had significantly improved for batting during their innings, and thus, Zimbabwe focused on building partnerships and keeping wickets intact to achieve their target.