Zimbabwe finished the tournament in style, beating Namibia by seven wickets in a thrilling finale at Harare Sports Club.
The hosts ended the T20 Africa Qualifier unbeaten, registering five wins from five matches.
Skipper Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to field, backing his side’s strength in chasing, which had been a feature throughout the tournament.
Namibia’s innings lacked their usual firepower as they posted 167/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Louren Steenkamp top-scored with 40 from 27 balls, while captain Gerhard Erasmus chipped in with 38.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers, led by strike pacer Richard Ngarava, were impressive once again, with Ngarava claiming 3/26 in his four overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe’s chase got off to a shaky start when in-form opener Brian Bennett, who had been superb all tournament, fell for 15 to the bowling of Ben Shikongo.
Dion Myers and Tadiwanashe Marumani then steadied the innings with a crucial third-wicket partnership worth 88 runs.
Myers was eventually dismissed for 44, but Marumani played a mature innings, anchoring the chase right to the end. He finished unbeaten on 70 and was named Player of the Match.
Ryan Burl provided valuable support with 26 not out, striking the winning boundary as Zimbabwe reached 171/3.
Bennett’s outstanding form throughout the tournament saw him named Player of the Tournament after amassing 314 runs in five innings.
Picture by Wonder Mashura
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