Zimbabwe stretched their unbeaten run in the T20 Africa World Cup Qualifiers to 4/4 after beating Kenya by 7 wickets in the semifinals at Harare Sports Club, booking their ticket to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be hosted in Sri Lanka and India.
The Chevrons will now face Namibia in the final on 4 October at 2 pm at Harare Sports Club. With both teams already qualified, the final will be about bragging rights and the battle to be crowned continental champions.
Kenya won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny Thursday in Harare. The flat wicket looked good for batting, but the East Africans never really got going, finishing on 122/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
Rakep Patel was the only batsman who offered real resistance, top-scoring with 65 off 47 balls. Sachin Gill (19) and Jaraj Kundi (13) also managed double figures, but Zimbabwe’s bowlers kept things tight.
Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the attack, taking 2 wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 4.75. Brad Evans was also tidy with 1/21, while Richard Ngarava finished with 1/31.
Zimbabwe’s top order, which has been in blazing form all tournament, set the tone once again. The dependable Brian Bennett struck his ninth T20 half-century, scoring 51 before falling to spinner Vraj Patel. It was Bennett’s third Player of the Match award in four games.
Together with Tadiwanashe Marumani (39), Bennett shared a 78-run opening stand off just 38 balls that put Zimbabwe firmly in control. Marumani, who looked set for a fifty of his own, fell trying to clear the ropes once too often.
The Chevrons chased down the target comfortably in just 15 overs, finishing on 123/3, with Ryan Burl unbeaten on 16 and hitting the winning runs.
After missing out on the 2024 edition in the USA and West Indies, Zimbabwe will feel relieved and vindicated as they return to where they believe they belong the T20 World Cup.
Share Your Comments