The towering pace trio of Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans ripped through Oman’s batting line-up to propel Zimbabwe to a commanding eight-wicket victory in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Monday.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Zimbabwe immediately capitalised on the lively surface, producing a ruthless new-ball spell that left Oman reeling and laid the foundation for a comfortable run chase.
The fast-bowling trio exploited the bounce and movement superbly, combining to claim nine of the 10 wickets to fall.
Muzarabani set the tone early, striking with the first ball of the second over when he bowled Jatinder Singh for five to leave Oman at seven for one.
The pressure intensified in the following over as Ngarava removed Hammad Mirza for a duck, caught behind by wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor.
Muzarabani then tore through the top order, dismissing Aamir Kaleem, who was caught at deep backward point for five, before accounting for Karan Sonavale two balls later, also for a duck, as Oman slumped to 17 for four inside four overs.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers maintained relentless discipline, conceding just 10 runs across the next three overs to tighten their stranglehold further.
Sikandar Raza joined the wickets column when he dismissed Wasim Ali for three, but Sufyan Mehmood and Vinayak Shukla briefly steadied the Oman innings with a 42-run sixth-wicket partnership.
Shukla provided the spark during the stand, striking four boundaries in a lively 28 off 21 balls before Ngarava ended the resistance by having him caught behind.
The left-arm seamer struck again in the same over, dismissing Jiten Ramanandi for one to reduce Oman to 71 for seven in the 15th over.
Evans then completed the demolition job, removing Mehmood for 25 in the 17th over before bowling Shakeel Ahmad in the final over as Oman’s innings unravelled further.
A late flourish from Nadeem Khan, who struck the only six of the innings during his 20 off 18 balls, helped Oman edge past the 100-run mark before he fell to a spectacular diving catch by Brian Bennett.
Oman were eventually bowled out for 103 in 19.5 overs, with the impressive trio of Muzarabani, Ngarava and Evans sharing the spoils with three wickets apiece, conceding just 16, 17 and 18 runs respectively.
In response, Zimbabwe made a brisk start as Tadiwanashe Marumani smashed four consecutive boundaries in the second over to inject early momentum into the chase.
Oman enjoyed a brief glimmer of hope when Mehmood struck twice in the fourth over, dismissing Marumani for a rapid 21 and removing Dion Myers for a duck to leave Zimbabwe at 30 for two.
However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished by a composed third-wicket partnership between Bennett and Taylor.
Bennett assumed the aggressor’s role while Taylor anchored the innings with characteristic composure, guiding Zimbabwe safely beyond the halfway mark of the chase without further setbacks.
Taylor later retired hurt on 31 after appearing uncomfortable while running, with Zimbabwe requiring just six more runs for victory.
Raza fittingly sealed the win with a boundary, while Bennett remained unbeaten on an accomplished 48 off 36 balls as Zimbabwe cruised to victory in 13.3 overs.
Mehmood’s two wickets proved the lone bright spot for Oman on an otherwise difficult afternoon, as Zimbabwe launched their T20 World Cup campaign with an emphatic statement of intent.
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