Wisden
Singer Akai Cup, first qualifying match

SRI LANKA v ZIMBABWE

At Sharjah, April 3. Sri Lanka won by seven wickets. Toss: Sri Lanka. International debut: D. P. Viljoen.

De Silva set the pattern for the tournament, ensuring Sri Lanka's victory with the biggest innings of the game. He was out looking for the winning hit, having added 107 with Atapattu to level the scores. De Silva hit nine fours and a six in his 60, during which he became the first Sri Lankan to pass 6,000 runs in limited-overs internationals, in his 200th match. Earlier, Zimbabwe's most forceful innings came from Wishart, who made 32 in 36 balls. But with Vaas taking three wickets for a tidy 25, they could not set a sufficiently challenging target.

Man of the Match: P. A. De Silva.

© John Wisden & Co