Zimbabwe Defeat Oman By Eight Wickets In T20 World Cup Clash

Zimbabwe opened their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in convincing fashion with an eight-wicket victory over Oman at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Monday, producing a dominant performance with both bat and ball.

Chasing a modest target of 104, Zimbabwe reached the target in just 14 overs, losing only two wickets. Openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani provided a brisk start in the low-scoring contest, putting immediate pressure on the Oman bowlers. The opening stand was broken in the fourth over when Marumani was dismissed by Sufyan Mehmood for 21 off 11 balls, an innings that included five boundaries. Zimbabwe then lost Dion Myers for a second-ball duck soon after, slipping briefly to 30 for 2 in 3.3 overs.

Bennett steadied the chase alongside Brendan Taylor, with the pair guiding Zimbabwe past the 50-run mark in the seventh over and adding a crucial 50-run partnership. Taylor, however, retired hurt after scoring 31 off 30 balls, paving the way for skipper Sikandar Raza to join Bennett in the middle.

Raza wasted little time in finishing the chase, striking a boundary to seal the win as Zimbabwe completed the target comfortably. Bennett top-scored with a composed 48 off 36 balls, which included seven fours, while Raza remained unbeaten on five off two deliveries to cap off the successful pursuit.

Earlier, batting first, Oman endured a torrid start against a disciplined Zimbabwe bowling attack. Captain Jatinder Singh was dismissed for a run-a-ball five on the first delivery of the second over, bowled by Blessing Muzarabani. The pressure mounted in the next over when Hammad Mirza was sent back for a five-ball duck by Richard Ngarava, leaving Oman struggling at 8 for 2 in 2.2 overs.

The collapse continued in the fourth over as Kaleem was dismissed for five off seven balls, followed by Karan Sonavale, who fell for a duck in the same over. Oman’s troubles deepened when Sikandar Raza clean-bowled Wasim Ali for three off eight deliveries, reducing them to 27 for 5 inside six overs.

Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla then attempted to rebuild the innings, stitching together a 42-run partnership to push Oman past the 50-run mark. Their stand was broken in the 15th over when Ngarava dismissed Shukla for 28 off 21 balls, an innings that featured four boundaries. In the same over, Jiten Ramanandi was dismissed for one, handing Ngarava his third wicket and leaving Oman at 69 for 7.

Brad Evans struck in the 17th over to remove Mehmood, who top-scored for Oman with 25 off 39 balls, including two fours. Nadeem Khan and Shakeel Ahmed added some late runs to lift the total, with Shah Faisal hitting a boundary off his first delivery to take Oman past the 100-run mark. Evans closed out the innings by dismissing Shakeel for four, while Nadeem Khan was the final wicket to fall after scoring 20 off 18 balls.

Zimbabwe’s bowlers shared the spoils in a dominant display, with Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava picking up three wickets each, while Sikandar Raza chipped in with one. The comprehensive win gave Zimbabwe a strong start to their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.