Mire’s maiden ton scripts record chase

Galle : Solomon Mire smashed his maiden ODI century to take Zimbabwe to a historic six wicket win over Sri Lanka and pile pressure on the beleaguered Asian nation. Mire hit 112 off 96 balls as Zimbabwe reached 322/4 to pass Sri Lanka’s 316/5 with more than two overs to spare. It was the first time in more than 200 ODIs in Sri Lanka that a visiting team has scored more than a 300 run target to get a victory.
Captain Angelo Mathews laid into his players after the defeat. “Having 315 on the board, I thought it was enough,” he said. “Our bowling was poor and our fielding was pathetic. It was a good batting effort by them.” Mire, known for his quickfire hitting, was twice dropped as Sri Lanka virtually gave the game away.
Sikandar Raza hit an unbeaten 67 and Sean Williams 65 as Zimbabwe stunned the home side in the first ODI to be held in Galle for 17 years. The day did not start badly for the home side. Kusal Mendis blasted 86 off 80 balls as Sri Lanka plundered runs off the Zimbabwe attack on a slow pitch. Upul Tharanga hit 79 and Danushka Gunathilaka 60 after Mathews won the toss and chose to bat. From there, Zimbabwe went off script. Mire, who also bowled seven overs before coming out as opening batsman, hit 14 fours and his third-wicket stand of 161 with Williams put the African side well on the way to victory.