Zimbabwe began their 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign with a dominant eight-wicket victory over Oman in their Group B opener at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Monday.
After winning the toss and opting to field, Zimbabwe’s pace trio of Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, and Brad Evans ripped through Oman’s batting lineup to bowl them out for 103 in 19.5 overs. Zimbabwe then chased down the target with ease, reaching 106/2 in just 13.3 overs to seal the win with 39 balls to spare.
Oman suffered a disastrous start after being put in to bat. Blessing Muzarabani struck early, clean-bowling skipper Jatinder Singh (5) with the first ball of the second over. Richard Ngarava then removed experienced batter Hammad Mirza in the following over to pile on the pressure.
Muzarabani returned to dismiss veteran all-rounder Aamir Kaleem, who became the oldest player to feature in a T20 World Cup match at 44 years and 81 days. In the same over, he also accounted for Karan Sonavale for a duck. Oman slipped to 27/5 when Sikandar Raza bowled Wasim Ali just after the powerplay.
Wicketkeeper-batter Vinayak Shukla and Sufyan Mehmood attempted a recovery, adding 42 runs—the highest partnership of the innings. Vinayak made 28 off 21 balls with four boundaries before falling to Ngarava, who later dismissed Jiten Ramanandi in the same over to complete his three-wicket haul.
Sufyan fought on with 25 off 39 balls, while Nadeem Khan added a late 20 off 18, but Brad Evans wrapped up the tail as Oman were bowled out for 103 in 19.5 overs.
Muzarabani (3/16), Ngarava (3/17), and Evans (3/18) were the standout bowlers, with skipper Sikandar Raza also picking up a wicket.
Zimbabwe’s chase was straightforward, with Brian Bennett anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls. Veteran Brendan Taylor retired hurt on 31 with a hamstring issue, just six runs short of the target, but the result was never in doubt as Zimbabwe cruised home in 13.3 overs.
T20 World Cup, Oman vs Zimbabwe: Brief Scores
Oman 103 all out in 19.5 overs (Vinayak Shukla 28, Sufyan Mehmood 25; Blessing Muzarabani 3/16, Richard Ngarava 3/17, Brad Evans 3/18)
Zimbabwe 106/2 in 13.3 overs (Brian Bennett 48*; Brendan Taylor 31* retired hurt)
Result: Zimbabwe won by 8 wickets