COLOMBO: Zimbabwe’s fast bowlers produced a commanding display to dismiss Oman for just 103 in 19.5 overs in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Monday.
Oman’s innings got off to a poor start after opting to bat first, with skipper Jatinder Singh falling for five off five balls to Blessing Muzarabani in the second over. The early pressure continued as Richard Ngarava removed Hammad Mirza for a duck in the next over, leaving Oman reeling at 8 for 2.
The situation worsened in the fourth over when Kaleem was dismissed for five off seven deliveries, and Karan Sonavale was also sent back without scoring in the same over. Oman’s collapse deepened soon after as Sikandar Raza bowled Wasim Ali for three, reducing the side to 27 for 5 inside six overs.
Vinayak Shukla
Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla attempted to rebuild, adding 42 runs to push the total beyond 50. Their resistance was broken when Ngarava dismissed Shukla for 28 off 21 balls, which included four boundaries, with Oman 69 for 6.
Ngarava struck again in the same over to remove Jiten Ramanandi for one. Brad Evans then claimed the key wicket of Mehmood, who top-scored with 25 from 39 balls, striking two fours.
Late contributions from Nadeem Khan and Shakeel Ahmed lifted Oman past 100, but Evans cleaned up the tail, dismissing Shakeel for four and later removing Nadeem for 20 off 18 balls.
Muzarabani, Evans and Ngarava each finished with three wickets, while Sikandar Raza added one, completing a dominant bowling effort for Zimbabwe.
