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OPENERS Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka hit sublime centuries to help Sri Lanka humble Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the third one-day international in Hambantota yesterday.

Chasing 311 for victory, the hosts hunted down a 300-plus run target for the first time on home soil, riding on a 229-run opening stand between Dickwella (102) and Gunathilaka (116) to canter home in 47.2 overs and earn a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

The left-handed batting duo got their maiden ODI hundreds to overshadow Zimbabwe opener Hamilton Masakadza’s sparkling 111 in the visitors’ 310-8 after being put into bat first.

While wicketkeeper-batsman Dickwella hit 14 boundaries during his stay, Gunathilaka smashed 15 fours and a six to flay the Zimbabwe attack at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews was fined 20 percent of his match fee for his team’s slow over rate, while the rest of the team was slapped with a 10 percent penalty by the International Cricket Council.

ICC match referee Chris Broad imposed the fine after finding the Sri Lankans one over short of their target and warned that should there be another infringement in the next 12 months under Mathews’ captaincy, he will face a suspension.

Off-spinner Malcolm Waller got Dickwella trudging back to the pavilion and left-arm orthodox Sean Williams cleaned up Gunathilaka, who received the man of the match award, in an otherwise disappointing show by the Zimbabwe bowlers.

Upul Tharanga (44) and Kusal Mendis (28) then steered the team home with an unbeaten 75-run stand as the batting duo survived a dropped catch each as fielding lapses also hurt the visitors.

Tharanga is unbeaten in the series so far after he once again dropped down the order to allow Dickwella and Gunathilaka to open the innings.
Earlier Masakadza put on a crucial 127-run partnership for the second wicket with Tarisai Musakanda (48) before Sri Lankan bowlers struck back to check Zimbabwe’s surge.

Masakadza’s 98-ball knock, laced with 15 fours and a six, had Zimbabwe eyeing 350-plus at one point before a middle-order collapse pulled them back.
Sean Williams contributed with a gutsy 43, while cameos from wicketkeeper-batsman Peter Moor (24) and Sikandar Raza (25 not out) helped Zimbabwe cross the 300-run mark.

The action now shifts to the fourth ODI at the same venue tomorrow. — SuperSport