By Zim Sport Live Writer
Zimbabwe began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in commanding fashion with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Oman at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Monday.
Chasing a modest target of 104, the Chevrons made light work of the task, reaching 105 for two in just 14 overs to register a confident start to the tournament.
Openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani set the tone early, attacking the Omani bowlers in a low-scoring contest. Marumani raced to 21 off 11 balls, striking five boundaries before he was dismissed by Sufyan Mehmood in the fourth over with Zimbabwe on 30.
Dion Myers then fell for a second-ball duck, briefly reducing Zimbabwe to 30 for two in 3.3 overs. However, Bennett found a steady partner in Brendan Taylor as the pair rebuilt the innings with a composed 50-run stand, taking the Chevrons past the halfway mark of the chase by the seventh over.
Taylor contributed a measured 31 off 30 balls before retiring hurt, paving the way for captain Sikandar Raza to finish the job. Raza wasted no time, striking a boundary to seal the win and remain unbeaten on five from two deliveries. Bennett anchored the innings superbly with a top score of 48 off 36 balls, including seven fours.
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s bowlers had laid the foundation for the victory with a disciplined performance after Oman opted to bat first.
Blessing Muzarabani struck in the second over to remove Omani captain Jatinder Singh, before Richard Ngarava dismissed Hammad Mirza for a duck to leave Oman reeling at 8 for two.
The pressure mounted as wickets continued to tumble, with Kaleem, Karan Sonavale and Wasim Ali falling cheaply as Oman slumped to 27 for five inside six overs.
A 42-run partnership between Mehmood (25) and Vinayak Shukla (28) briefly revived the innings, but Ngarava returned to break the stand and claim his third wicket. Brad Evans then cleaned up the tail, finishing with three scalps as Oman were restricted to 104.
Muzarabani, who was duly named the Player of the Match, Ngarava and Evans each claimed three wickets, while Raza chipped in with one, capping a clinical all-round display by Zimbabwe.