Zimbabwe vs Oman - Commentary

Right then, that is it from this exciting contest where Zimbabwe still remains unbeaten in the tournament while Oman will have to go back to the drawing board and come back stronger in the next game. However, the action continues in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 on 30th June, Friday. In Match 2 of the Super Sixes, Sri Lanka will take on Netherlands while in the 7th place play-off semi-final, Ireland battle it out against USA. Both matches will start at 12.30 pm IST (7 am GMT), but as you know you can join us early for all the build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

Craig Ervine, the victorious skipper of Zimbabwe says that he feels relieved as it was a really tough game of cricket. Adds that he thought 280-290 was good on this surface but when they started to bowl they realised how crucial the knock of Sean was.  Mentions that the wicket looked good at the start of the day and the bowlers for them bowled a bit here and there too but the fielding bailed them out. Aldo adds that when the wicket plays this better then it is always better to have a cushion of some extra runs. Closes by saying that this was a really tough day for the side and hopes that they can come back in two days' time and get the side over the line in terms of qualification

Zeeshan Maqsood, the captain of Oman says they were sloppy in the field and the dropped catches hurt them a lot as he thinks they gave 30-40 runs extra. Tells that while batting they got to an amazing start with Aqib Ilyas and Kashyap Prajapati who also scored a hundred but as the game went deep they were not able to continue the momentum. Mentions that they didn't bat well in the back end of the innings and confirms that it is a hamstring injury for him. Says that he will go for scans and see how bad it is and reckons that if he didn't have to go out they could have gotten over the line as the wicket was excellent. He presents a memento to Craig Ervine from Oman cricket to Zimbabwe cricket at the end.

Sean Williams is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for another special knock. He says the pitch was a really good one, a bit slow to start but kept getting better to bat, and running between the wicket was key for the team to score such a total. Adds that as soon as a player starts to show intent it works for him and it is exactly the same with him. Mentions that when he had a look at the surface in the morning it looked a tricky one and in the first innings as well but it got better to bat on and luckily they posted a good total and it is all smiles at the end of the day for them.

Presentation Time...

Earlier in the game, after being asked to bat first Zimbabwe posted a mammoth total on the board with the help of another Sean Williams show who scored his third hundred in the tournament and made a blistering 142. Fayyaz Butt was the pick of the bowlers for Oman with four wickets while Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah, and Zeeshan Maqsood got one each. While chasing, Oman showed massive heart and Kashyap Prajapati led from the front with a magnificent century but in the end, they just ran out of steam and fell short by 14 runs.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, was tested but they still found a way to escape a difficult situation. They struggled to pick up wickets initially, but once they got rid of Prajapati, they picked them up at regular intervals but were expensive too. Blessing Muzarabani was their best bowler with three wickets along with Tendai Chatara while Richard Ngarava got a couple. Sikandar Raza also chipped in with one. The difference between them and Oman was the catching as Raza and Luke Jongwe took two splendid catches for the hosts to get ahead in this game.

When Oman came out to bat they knew they had to be proactive if they wanted to chase this huge total down. They did lose Jatinder Singh quite early but Aqib Ilyas and Kashyap Prajapati took on the hosts and put up a brilliant stand of 83 runs before the former got out for a well-made 45. Prajapati didn't stop after his fifty, smashed it all around the park to register a special hundred, and became the first Oman player to score a century against a full-member nation. However, unfortunately for Oman, he was dismissed soon after, and before that, they lost their skipper Zeeshan Maqsood as he had to retire hurt after doing his hamstring. As long as they were batting, the match was tilting in their favour and Ayaan Khan also played a fine knock of 47 off 43 to keep them in the hunt. In the end, Mohammad Nadeem's quick cameo of 30 off 18 and a few lusty blows from the skipper who bravely came out to bat again wasn't enough to take them home.

A fantastic win for Zimbabwe! The hosts make it five wins in a row! They are among the top contenders to challenge for the top two spots. However, credit must also go to Oman for the incredible fight they showed in this match. It is heartbreak for them but they can take many positives out of it.

Zeeshan Maqsood bravely makes his way out to the middle again.