'I wanted get team to victory ", Star Sri Lanka batter Janith Liyanage speaks about his iconic 95 runs knock in 2nd ODI against Zimbabwe

In only his second One Day International (ODI), Janith Liyanage played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka's thrilling win against Zimbabwe in Colombo. Scoring an impressive 95 off 127 balls, Liyanage's performance stood out as the highest individual score for Sri Lanka in the second ODI.

Despite his efforts, he fell five runs short of a maiden international century when he attempted a risky shot against Blessing Muzarabani and was caught at mid-off. Liyanage's dismissal left Sri Lanka with only two wickets remaining and put Zimbabwe back in a position of strength.

Reflecting on his innings, Liyanage explained, "More than the century, what I wanted was to get the team to victory. At that time, we were about five runs behind the DLS score. So I thought if I hit a six in that over, we'd be able to win even if the match stopped because of rain. All I thought of was winning the match, and I'm glad we were able to get there."

Janith Liyanage had formed a crucial 56-run seventh-wicket partnership with Maheesh Theekshana, rescuing Sri Lanka from a challenging situation at 112 for 6. Liyanage adapted his approach during this partnership, batting more aggressively to counter Zimbabwe's best bowlers.

"They were bowling their best," says Janith Liyanage

He explained the strategy, saying, "When Maheesh and I were batting, they [Zimbabwe] were bowling their best bowlers, and they only had a few overs left. So we planned to get two or three runs off their best bowlers, then take the game into the last five or six overs and score our runs there."

Throughout the chase, rain had been a factor, causing a long delay of 13 overs into Sri Lanka's innings. Liyanage noted the impact of moisture on the conditions, stating, "We lost two wickets at the start, and with the rain, the ball started to move a bit. So I thought then that they've got two fast bowlers, so I'll defend against them, and if I bat for a while and get set, I could bat till the end. Their tall quicks got a bit extra out of the conditions with the rain."