Zimbabwe produced a dominant all-round performance in their T20 World Cup opener, crushing Oman by 8 wickets with 39 balls remaining at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Zimbabwe’s pace battery dismantled Oman’s batting lineup with aggressive short-pitched bowling, exploiting the conditions to bundle them out for a paltry 103 in 19.5 overs.
Match Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo |
| Date | February 9, 2026 |
| Match | 8th Match, Group B |
| Tournament | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 |
| Result | Zimbabwe won by 8 wickets |
| Player of the Match | Blessing Muzarabani |
| Toss | Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field |
First Innings – Oman: 103 all out (19.5 overs)
Oman’s innings was a tale of continuous collapse against Zimbabwe’s relentless pace attack. Captain Jatinder Singh (5) fell to the very first ball from Muzarabani, caught bowled by a delivery that nipped back sharply.
The top order crumbled under pressure, with Oman reeling at 17/4 and then 27/5 within the powerplay as the Zimbabwean seamers unleashed a barrage of short balls that the batsmen simply couldn’t handle.
A crucial 41-run partnership between Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla gave Oman brief hope before Ngarava broke through.
Nadeem Khan’s late assault, featuring a massive six and a top-edge four, provided some respectability. Brian Bennett’s spectacular diving catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Nadeem ended the innings, marking a historic performance as Zimbabwe became the first team to take nine pace wickets in a T20I.
| Category | Player | Figures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Vinayak Shukla | 28 (21) | 4 fours, SR: 133.33 |
| 2nd Top Scorer | Sufyan Mehmood | 25 (39) | 2 fours, SR: 64.10 |
| 3rd Top Scorer | Nadeem Khan | 20 (18) | 1 four, 1 six, SR: 111.11 |
| Best Bowler | Blessing Muzarabani | 3/16 (4) | Economy: 4.00 |
| 2nd Best Bowler | Richard Ngarava | 3/17 (4) | Economy: 4.25 |
| 3rd Best Bowler | Brad Evans | 1/11 (3) | Economy: 3.67 |
| Supporting Bowler | Sikandar Raza | 1/17 (4) | Economy: 4.25 |
Second Innings – Zimbabwe: 106/2 (13.3 overs)
Zimbabwe’s chase began explosively as Tadiwanashe Marumani smashed five boundaries in his 11-ball blitz of 21 runs, racing to 30 runs within three overs.
Sufyan Mehmood struck twice in his first over, removing Marumani with a spectacular diving catch by Wasim Ali at backward point, followed immediately by Dion Myers for a golden duck.
However, the experienced duo of Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor steadied the ship with sensible batting, forging a composed 68-run partnership.
Bennett was particularly impressive, striking seven boundaries while rotating the strike efficiently. Taylor retired hurt after experiencing discomfort in his right leg, but by then, the match was effectively sealed.
Captain Sikandar Raza fittingly hit the winning runs, smashing a boundary through extra cover to complete a convincing victory.
| Category | Player | Figures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Brian Bennett | 47* (35) | 7 fours, SR: 134.29 |
| 2nd Top Scorer | Brendan Taylor | 27 (27) | 3 fours, SR: 100.00 |
| 3rd Top Scorer | Tadiwanashe Marumani | 21 (11) | 5 fours, SR: 190.91 |
| Best Bowler | Sufyan Mehmood | 2/12 (3) | Economy: 4.00 |
| 2nd Best Bowler | Shakeel Ahmed | 0/27 (2) | Economy: 13.50 |
| 3rd Best Bowler | Nadeem Khan | 0/28 (2) | Economy: 14.00 |
Notable Stats:
- Oman’s 103 is the lowest total conceded against Zimbabwe in T20 World Cup history
- Zimbabwe’s nine pace wickets marked the first time they achieved this feat in T20Is
- Zimbabwe hunted down the target with 39 balls remaining, their most dominant T20 World Cup chase
