HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka, July 10: Offspinner Sikandar Raza took three wickets to help Zimbabwe restrict Sri Lanka to 203 for eight in the series-deciding fifth one-day international on Monday.
With the five-match series level at 2-2, Zimbabwe's bowling performance after winning the toss gives them a realistic chance of clinching their first one-day series win over Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer elected to field and his seamer Tendai Chatara struck early, having in-form batsman Niroshan Dickwella caught by wicketkeeper Peter Moor with the total on 3 in the second over. Dickwella had scored successive centuries in the last two games.
Zimbabwe clinches historic 1st ODI series win over Sri Lanka
Raza had Kusal Mendis caught by Cremer and then bowled Upul Tharanga to leave Sri Lanka on 31-3.
Opener Danushka Gunathilaka and skipper Angelo Mathews combined for a 47-run partnership but Mathews fell for 24, caught by Hamilton Masakadza off Cremer.
Gunathilaka brought up his seventh one-day half-century and was dismissed for 52.
A flurry of wickets saw Sri Lanka eight down for 153, before ninth-wicket pair Asela Gunaratne and Dushmantha Chameera added 50 runs to give Sri Lanka a more respectable total. Gunaratne was the hosts' top scorer with 59 runs.
Raza finished with 3-21, his best figures in one-day internationals.
