T20 World Cup 2026: Brian Bennett, bowlers power Zimbabwe to 8-wicket win over Oman
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "T20 World Cup 2026: Brian Bennett, bowlers power Zimbabwe to 8-wicket win over Oman")
Zimbabwe's captain Sikandar Raza shakes hands with Oman's players Photograph: (AFP)
With this win, Zimbabwe move up the points table and will look to carry this momentum into their upcoming matches in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Zimbabwe started their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with an easy eight-wicket win over Oman at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Monday (Feb 9). Chasing a modest target of 104, Zimbabwe were led by opener Brian Bennett, who scored an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls, including seven fours. Brendan Taylor made 31 runs from 30 balls, while Tadiwanashe Marumani contributed 21 from 11 balls, helping the Chevrons complete the chase comfortably.
For Oman, Sufyan Mehmood was the most successful bowler, taking 2 wickets for 12 runs in three overs. No other Omani bowler managed to take a wicket.
Earlier, Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bowl first, restricting Oman to 103 all out in 19.5 overs. Vinayak Shukla top-scored with 28 off 21 balls, hitting four boundaries. Sufyan Mehmood scored 25 and Nadeem Khan contributed 20. The rest of the batting lineup failed to reach double figures.
For Zimbabwe, Richard Ngarava (3/17), Blessing Muzarabani (3/16), and Brad Evans (3/18) took three wickets each, while captain Sikandar Raza claimed one.
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During the chase, the Chevrons got off to a strong start with both openers making early contributions. However, Tadiwanashe Marumani was dismissed for 21 by Mehmood and Dion Myers followed soon after, getting out for a duck. Brendan Taylor then played a solid innings before being forced to retire hurt. In the end, captain Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett guided Zimbabwe to victory.
With this win, Zimbabwe move up the points table and will look to carry this momentum into their upcoming matches in the T20 World Cup 2026.
