Bowlers set ruthless tone in Colombo

ZIMBABWE announced themselves at the ICC T20 World Cup with a performance that felt sharp, prepared, and unsentimental, crushing Oman by eight wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Tuesday, to open their campaign with authority. Zimbabwe answered it with discipline and memory. They bowled Oman out for 103 in 19.5 overs, then chased it down with 27 balls to spare, finishing on 106 for two.

The gap between the teams showed not just on the scoreboard, but in how calmly Zimbabwe went about their work. Blessing Muzarabani set the tone early and never loosened his grip. Tall, direct, and relentless with his length, the seamer returned figures of three for 16 and was named Player-of-the-Match.

His opening spell broke Oman before they could settle, removing captain Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem inside his first two overs. Kaleem followed soon after, edging to deep third man where Dion Myers judged the catch cleanly. Richard Ngarava joined the squeeze from the other end, drawing a thin edge from Hammad Mirza that Brendan Taylor accepted behind the stumps.

[paywall]

Brad Evans kept it tight and struck when he needed to. Oman’s top five failed to reach double figures. Karan Sonavale and Mirza both departed for ducks, while Kashyap Wasim was bowled by Sikandar Raza for three.

At 27 for five after seven overs, the innings was in free fall. A sixth wicket stand between Vinayak Shukla and Sufyan Mehmood briefly slowed the collapse. They added 42 off 43 balls and gave Oman a chance to reach three figures.

It ended when Ngarava had Shukla caught behind for 28, Taylor’s third dismissal of the innings. From there, the end came quickly. The final wicket fell with the penultimate ball, Oman dismissed for 103.

Zimbabwe’s bowling card carried its own weight of history. Muzarabani’s three wickets took him to 15 at T20 World Cups, moving him past Raza to become Zimbabwe’s leading wicket taker at the tournament. Raza himself reached a milestone before a ball was bowled, becoming Zimbabwe’s most capped T20 World Cup player with his 15th appearance, overtaking Sean Williams.

Taylor, meanwhile, moved to eight dismissals as a wicketkeeper at the event, another national record. The chase was never dramatic, but it had moments that reminded Zimbabwe why restraint still matters in short format cricket. Tapiwanashe Marumani attacked early, scoring 21 off 11 balls, before Wasim Ali produced a sharp catch at backward point to remove him.

Dion Myers followed two balls later, caught behind off Mehmood for a duck, and for a brief moment Oman had something to chase emotionally if not on the scoreboard. Brian Bennett shut that door. Batting with clarity and patience, he anchored the innings with an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls.

He added 68 for the third wicket with Taylor, who struck 31 off 30 before retiring hurt after appearing to jar himself while running. Zimbabwe did not hesitate. Taylor walked off, Raza walked in, and the tempo stayed steady.

Raza finished unbeaten on five as Zimbabwe crossed the line with eight runs to spare, their approach controlled rather than flashy. The message was clear. They knew the surface, they trusted their plans, and they did not chase theatre where none was needed.

“I thought we bowled exceptionally well,” Raza said. “We read the pitch properly and we stuck to what we wanted to do. It was clinical.

A few boundaries or a bad over here or there don’t bother me. The plans worked, with the ball and with the bat.” On Taylor’s injury, Raza was direct. “As soon as we made eye contact, I wanted him off,” he said.

“I’ve seen him try to play through things before and it only makes it worse. He’s too important for us. We’ve got a few days before the next game, so we’ll wait for the scan and the medical report.” Oman captain Jatinder Singh offered a blunt assessment of his side’s failure.

“We didn’t put enough runs on the board,” he said. “You can’t expect your bowlers to defend 104. As a batting unit, we didn’t click. In this format, you need 160 or 170 to give yourself a chance.”

[/paywall]