A composed half-century from Brian Bennett and a blistering cameo by skipper Sikandar Raza powered the Zimbabwe national cricket team to a commanding six-wicket win over the Sri Lanka national cricket team in their T20 World Cup Group B clash on Thursday.

Chasing a competitive 179 on a sluggish surface, Zimbabwe struck the right balance between caution and aggression to overhaul the target in 19.3 overs. Bennett anchored the innings with an unbeaten 63 off 48 balls, while Raza injected momentum with a 26-ball 45.

With both sides already through to the Super Eights, Zimbabwe underlined their impressive group-stage campaign — which also included a victory over Australia — with another assured performance.

Zimbabwe laid a solid foundation, racing to 55 without loss in the Powerplay courtesy of Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani (34 off 26). The pair added 69 runs for the opening wicket before Marumani fell to left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, offering a return catch.

Ryan Burl kept up the tempo with a brisk 23, including a towering 103-metre six off Wellalage, before he was dismissed by Dasun Shanaka’s slower delivery. The game, however, swung decisively when Raza joined Bennett in the middle.

As Bennett brought up his fifty in 41 balls, Zimbabwe still needed acceleration. Raza provided it in emphatic fashion, hammering Dilshan Madushanka for back-to-back sixes and a boundary in the 15th over. Despite battling cramps late in his innings, he smashed Maheesh Theekshana for a six and four in the 16th over to bring the asking rate down sharply.

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Raza eventually fell in the 19th over, and Zimbabwe briefly wobbled with another quick wicket, leaving eight runs to get in the final over. But Tony Munyonga sealed the deal in style, pulling Theekshana for a massive six to finish the chase with three balls to spare.

Earlier, Sri Lanka posted a competitive 178 for seven after opting to bat. Openers Kusal Perera (22) and Pathum Nissanka (62) added 54 runs in 4.5 overs to give the innings early impetus.

Perera fell to Blessing Muzarabani, miscuing a pull shot to short fine leg. Muzarabani’s clever variations and back-of-a-length bowling kept the batters in check as Sri Lanka ended the Powerplay at 61 for one.

The scoring rate dipped in the middle overs as Zimbabwe’s spinners — Raza, Graeme Cremer, Burl and Wellington Masakadza — applied the squeeze. Kusal Mendis (14 off 20) struggled for fluency before departing, while Nissanka reached his fifty in 34 balls with a calculated approach built around smart rotation and selective aggression.

Nissanka eventually succumbed to the sluggish pitch, reverse-sweeping Cremer into the hands of Munyonga. Pavan Rathnayake then provided a late flourish, striking 44 off 25 balls and taking 14 runs off Brad Evans in the 19th over. Sri Lanka added 30 runs in the final two overs to push their total close to 180, but it ultimately proved insufficient.