Zimbabwe put up an all-round show to outplay Oman in a Group B contest of the T20 World Cup in Colombo on Monday.
Opting to bowl first, Zimbabwe had Oman in all sorts of trouble as Blessing Muzarabani (3/16) wreaked havoc with the new ball. Muzarabani was complemented well by pace colleagues Richard Ngarava (3/17) and Brad Evans (3/18) as the African side bundled out Oman for just 103 in 19.5 overs.
Though the target was not a challenging one, Zimbabwe stumbled early, losing two wickets in the fourth over of their chase. But Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor ensured there was no further hiccups as Zimbabwe reached home in 13.3 overs, winning the match by eight wickets.
Bennett was the star with the bat with an unbeaten innings of 48 off 36 balls, while Taylor made 31 off 30 balls before retiring hurt.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza praised his team, especially the bowlers. “I thought we bowled exceptionally well. We read the
pitch correctly.”
Brief scores: Oman 103 in 19.5 ovs (Blessing Muzarabani 3/16, Richard Ngarava 3/17, Brad Evans 3/18). Zimbabwe 106/2 in 13.3 ovs (Brian Bennett 48 n.o.). Zimbabwe won by 8 wkts.
