Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE kicked off their ICC T20 World Cup campaign in style as they crushed Oman by eight-wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, yesterday.
Blessing Muzarabani put up a Player-of the-Match performance with the ball, taking three wickets for 16 runs, as the Chevrons skittled the Middle East nation for 103 runs.
Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 48 runs off 36 balls safely guided the Chevrons home as Zimbabwe finished on 106 runs for two wickets.
The win sent a clear message of intent as the Chevrons put up a stellar performance in the field while the batting managed to cross the finishing line moderately unscathed.
Skipper Sikandar Raza won the toss and opted to bowl after which the Zimbabwe attack made light work of Oman, dismissing them for 103 runs.
Richard Ngarava, Muzarabani and Brad Evans were in top form, each taking three wickets.
Muzarabani began proceedings as he dispatched Oman’s opening pair Aamir Kaleem and skipper Jatinder Singh.
He bowled out Sifor for five runs off five balls after which he had Kaleem caught by Dion Myers at deep third man for his five runs off seven balls.
Ngarava also got on the act as he had Hammad Mirza caught behind by Brendan Taylor for his five-ball duck.
Oman’s top order failed to reach double digits, with Karan Sonavale getting caught behind for a six-ball duck while Wasim was bowled out by Sikandar Raza for his three runs off eight balls.
This left Oman reeling at 27 runs for five inside the first seven overs of their innings.
The duo of Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla then combined for a 42-run off 43 balls sixth-wicket partnership as they tried to stabilise the innings.
Unfortunately, it was a classic case of too little too late as Ngarava struck again to end their stand.
The Zimbabwe seamer had Shukla caught behind for Taylor’s third dismissal of the day, to end the day on 28 runs off 21 balls.
Wickets fell at regular intervals as Zimbabwe got their final wicket in the penultimate ball of Oman’s innings.
Muzarabani finished as the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with figures of three for 16 runs while Ngarava and Evans also took three scalps each.
Raza chipped in with his solitary wickets.
A couple of records were broken during the innings, with Raza starting off the day as Zimbabwe’s most capped player at the T20 World Cup, playing in 15 matches and surpassing Sean Williams’ 14 matches.
Taylor also broke the record for the most dismissals by a Zimbabwe wicket-keeper with eight.
Muzarabani became the top wicket-taker for Zimbabwe at the T20 World Cup with 15 wickets, going past Raza’s 14.
With 104 as the target, Zimbabwe had a few scares here and there but chased down the target with relative ease.
Tapiwanashe Marumani set the tone with a brisk 21 runs off 11 balls before Wasim Ali took a blinder of a catch at backward point to dismiss the Zimbabwe opener off the bowling of Mehmood.
Myers did not last long as he became Mehmood’s second wicket of the third over when he was caught behind for a two-ball duck (0). Brian Bennett and Taylor then piled up 68 runs off 56 runs for the third wicket left Zimbabwe starring at an easy victory.
Taylor was forced to retire hurt as his innings ended on 31 runs off 30 balls.
Bennett top-scored for Zimbabwe with his unbeaten 48 runs off 36 balls and was joined by Raza (5) as the two saw the Chevrons home with an unbeaten eight runs off four balls for the fourth wicket.
Raza was left a happy man after the match.
“I thought we bowled exceptionally well,” he said.
“We read the pitch correctly and executed our plans perfectly.
“This was about as clinical as we can be.
“A few boundaries and a couple of bad overs that we had don’t really bother me, after all, the main thing is that our plans worked, both with the ball and the bat.
On Taylor’s condition after the Chevrons’ top-order batter was forced to retire hurt, Raza said; “as soon as we made eye contact, I wanted him off the field.
“I’ve seen this happen too many times where he tries to play through it and makes it worse.
“He’s a key member of the team, and we have a few days before the next game, so I didn’t want to take any chances.
“His initial reaction was that it felt bad, but we will wait for the scan and the medical report,” said Raza.
His opposite number and Oman skipper, Jatinder Singh, accepted defeat.
“We were asked to bat first, and I don’t think we put enough runs on the board,” he said.
“It’s too much to ask the bowlers to defend 104, and as a batting unit, we simply didn’t click. In a T20 game, you need around 160 or 170 to give your bowlers a total they can actually fight with,” he said.
