Zimbabwe's Bowling Blitz
Opting to bowl first, Zimbabwe's bowlers unleashed a formidable performance, dismantling Oman's batting lineup. Blessing Muzarabani set the tone early,
removing Oman's captain Jatinder Singh in the second over. Richard Ngarava, with a fine catch from wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, soon followed up by dismissing Hammad Mirza. Muzarabani continued his impressive spell, taking two more wickets in quick succession, including a duck for Karan Sonavale. While Sufyan Mehmood (25 off 39 balls) and Vinayak Shukla (28 off 21 balls) managed a 42-run partnership for the sixth wicket, and Nadeem Khan contributed a late 20 off 18 balls to push Oman past the century mark, the Zimbabwean attack proved too strong. Ultimately, Brad Evans, Muzarabani, and Ngarava all claimed three wickets each, with Sikandar Raza also contributing one, restricting Oman to a total of 103 all out in 19.5 overs. Muzarabani was particularly outstanding, finishing with figures of 4-1-16-3.
Bennett Leads the Chase
Chasing a modest target of 104 runs, Zimbabwe's openers, Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani, provided a solid start, with Marumani contributing a quick 21 off 11 balls. Bennett, in particular, displayed exceptional composure and strokeplay, remaining unbeaten on 48 runs from 36 deliveries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor also played a crucial supporting role, scoring a valuable 31 runs before retiring hurt, including three boundaries. Sikandar Raza fittingly sealed the victory with the winning boundary, ensuring Zimbabwe comfortably reached the target. Oman's Sufyan Mehmood was the sole bright spot in their bowling, taking two wickets for 12 runs in his three overs, but it wasn't enough to derail Zimbabwe's smooth pursuit of the win, which they achieved in just 13.3 overs.
