Online Reporter
Oman 188 for 6 (Jatinder 55, Mirza 35, Ramanandi 34*, Muzarabani 2-41) beat Zimbabwe 187 for 7 (Bennett 56, Musekiwa 54*, Mehmood 3-22, Nadeem 2-26) by four wickets
Half-centuries from Brian Bennett and Tashinga Musekiwa took Zimbabwe to 187 in Colombo
Oman will enter the T20 World Cup 2026 with some extra confidence after beating Zimbabwe by four wickets in the warm-up game between the two sides in Colombo ahead of the tournament proper. Opening batter Jatinder Singh led the way by smashing 55 off 33 balls in the 188 chase, which Jiten Ramanandi wrapped up with his cameo of 34* in 18 deliveries.
Jatinder added 79 for the second wicket with Hammad Mirza, who scored 35 off 25 balls, as their partnership and captain Aamir Kaleem’s blazing 23 with two fours and sixes each set the foundation for Oman.
Earlier, Oman had opted to bowl first, but saw Zimbabwe get off to a flying start. Brian Bennett smashed 56 in only 28 balls as he dominated the opening stand of 86 with Brendan Taylor. But despite that rapid start, Zimbabwe found themselves at 94 for 5 in the 11th over, with Taylor having retired out on 26.
But Tashinga Musekiwa took over from there, and thumped 54* in 28 deliveries. He added 43 for the sixth wicket with Dion Myers, and 33 for the eighth with Brad Evans to take Zimbabwe to 187. That total didn’t prove enough, though, as Oman won with four balls remaining.
Oman and Zimbabwe also face each other in their opening match of the T20 World Cup, when they meet in Colombo on February 9.
derick.khumalo