Zimbabwe came out on top in a thrilling match against Oman at the Queens Sports Club in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers. Led by an outstanding batting performance by Sean Williams, who scored 142 runs off 103 deliveries, the Zimbabweans posted a competitive total of 332/7. Luke Jongwe (43 not out) and Sikandar Raza (42) also made valuable contributions to bolster their team’s innings.
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Oman opener Kashyap Prajapati also batted exceptionally well, scoring 103 runs off 97 balls, with 12 fours and a six. However, Oman’s captain Zeeshan Maqsood retired hurt, badly affecting their chase. In the end, they fell just short of the target, finishing at 318/9.
Zimbabwe’s bowling duo of Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara played crucial roles, taking three wickets each. The result extends Zimbabwe’s winning streak in ODIs to seven matches. They now have six points in the Super Six of the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers.
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In the early stages of the match, Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine and Joylord Gumbie were challenged by Oman’s pacers during the powerplay. Despite surviving the first 10 overs, both Ervine (25) and Gumbie (21) were dismissed in quick succession. Then, Sean Williams took charge, forming crucial partnerships with Wessly Madhevere and Sikandar Raza to propel Zimbabwe’s innings.
Williams reached his half-century in the 25th over and continued to dominate the opposition’s bowling attack. Alongside Raza, he accelerated Zimbabwe’s scoring rate. Raza reached his milestone of scoring 4000 ODI runs for Zimbabwe in just 127 innings, making him the fastest player from the country to achieve the feat. Williams completed his century in the 38th over, his third of the tournament.
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Oman’s Fayyaz Butt dismissed Raza in the 39th over, but Williams continued to score freely. His partnerships with Ryan Burl and Jongwe proved crucial as Zimbabwe surpassed the 330-run mark. Jongwe’s unbeaten knock of 43 added valuable runs to the team’s total.
During Oman’s chase, Muzarabani dismissed Jatinder Singh early, but Prajapati and Aqib Ilyas formed a solid partnership for the second wicket. Zimbabwe were in need of a breakthrough, and Sikandar Raza provided it by dismissing Ilyas (45) in the 22nd over. Unfortunately for Oman, Maqsood’s injury hampered their chances of staging a comeback in the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers match.
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Prajapati continued his impressive innings and completed his second ODI hundred in the 34th over, becoming the first Oman player to achieve the milestone against a full member nation. However, Zimbabwe regained control when Raza took a remarkable catch to dismiss Prajapati, swinging the momentum in their favour.
Zimbabwe continued to tighten their grip on the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers game. Despite Oman’s resilience in the final overs, the Zimbabweans ultimately secured a thrilling win.
