adminZIMBABWE made a flying start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B 2022 with a 111-run victory over Singapore at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday.
Not only were they able to celebrate their greatest margin of victory in this format of cricket, but also their highest innings total, 236.
On a cold, cloudy morning, Singapore won the toss and put the hosts in to bat.
The Zimbabwe batters got after the Singapore bowling from the start, with Regis Chakabva and Craig Ervine setting a cracking pace, boundaries flowing freely.
They reached 51 in the fourth over, but at this point Chakabva ran himself out, pushing a ball from Janak Prakash towards mid-on and setting off in hope of a single.
The bowler ran across and found his mark with the throw, with the batter well out of his crease – he had scored 24 off 12 balls.
In the following over, with the score 65, Craig Ervine tried to hook a short ball from Aryaman Sunil, but a top edge a catch to the wicketkeeper, Manpreet Singh, having scored 34 off only 16 balls, with two sixes and five fours.
He was quickly followed by Wessly Madhevere, who managed only two singles before he drove a catch into the covers off Prakash, making the score 70 for three off six overs.
This brought together the experienced pair of Sean Williams, making a welcome return to the national side, and Sikandar Raza, and they launched a fierce attack on the bowling.
After 10 overs the score was 116 for three wickets and a huge total was already virtually assured.
As their partnership developed, Raza narrowly won the race to his fifty, which came off only 26 balls.
He was followed off the next ball by Williams, who had taken 33.
Two balls later, however, Williams pulled a catch to the fielder at deep square leg and was out for 53, after a partnership of 103 runs in less than 10 overs.
In the 18th over, Zimbabwe passed 200 and set a new record for their highest total in T20 internationals, their previous best having been 200 for two wickets against New Zealand in 2011/12.
Hitting sixes and occasional fours in rapid succession now, Raza gave hopes of becoming the first Zimbabwean to score a century in this format, but in the penultimate over he was caught on the cover boundary aiming for another six.
He had scored 87 off 40 balls, with five sixes and eight fours – the score was 222 for five.
His partner, Milton Shumba, took up the aggression and finished the innings with 22 not out, while Ryan Burl managed a single off the only delivery he faced.
Singapore really had a hopeless task, but were obliged to hit out from the start.
Scores
Zimbabwe – 236-5 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 87, Sean Williams 53, Craig Ervine 34; Anantha Krishna 1/31, Amjad Mahboob 1/42, Aryaman Sunil 1/43)
Singapore – 125-7 in 20 overs (Janak Prakash 32*, Aryaman Sunil 25, Surendran Chandramohan 21; Tendai Chatara 3/14, Blessing Muzarabani 2/21, Luke Jongwe 1/18)
Zimbabwe won by 111 runs – zimcricket
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter