The first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 Super Sixes saw Zimbabwe take on Oman in a thrilling encounter at the Queens Sports Club on Thursday (June 29). The Zimbabwean side won the match by 14 runs and are now just one victory away from securing a spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India later this year.
Asked to bat first, Zimbabwe batters put up a great show and posted a mammoth 322-run total for the loss of seven wickets. Sean Williams hammered a brilliant century for his team and contributed crucial 142 runs off 103 deliveries to the team’s total. Williams smashed fourteen fours and three sixes during his innings. Meanwhile, Fayyaz Butt picked four wickets for Oman in the contest.
In reply, Oman started valiantly and strongly, with opener Kashyap Prajapati slamming a scintillating ton. Prajapati scored impressive 103 runs and almost took the game away from Zimbabwe until he was dismissed off a sensational catch from Sikandar Raza.
The brilliant fielding effort from Raza came on the fifth ball of the 34th over when Blessing Muzarabani bowled a straighter delivery to Kashyap, and he smacked it high in the air. Raza ran backwards from mid-on and kept a close eye on the white leather before he finally jumped and managed to cling to the ball. The Zimbabwe all-rounder was seen pumped up after the catch and roared in excitement to celebrate the dismissal.
Here’s the video:
Sikandar 🫴 pic.twitter.com/P8iF9k0VJo
— IPL (@WatchIPLvideos) June 30, 2023
As far as the result of the match is concerned, the wicket of Kashyap turned out to be a major blow for Oman as their other batters couldn’t contribute much, and they eventually fell 14 runs short of the set target. Tendai Chatara and Muzaraban were the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe, claiming three wickets each.
