On the back of in-form Sikandar Raza's all-round brilliance, Zimbabwe overpowered West Indies at Harare Sports Club on June 24 (Sunday) in an ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 match. As a result, the home side sealed qualification for the Super Six stage of the competition. At one stage, the Men in Maroon looked on course to win the game but self-inflicted wounds coupled with lack of game awareness from batters came back to bite Shai Hope's team.
Chasing a target of 269 runs, West Indies got off to a decent start with openers Brandon King (20 runs off 12 balls) and Kyle Mayers forging a 43-run alliance for the opening wicket. King and Johnson Charles (one run off five balls) departed in quick succession, leaving West Indies at 46/2. Mayers and skipper Hope (30 runs off 39 balls) combined for a 64-run partnership for the third wicket.
Just when the Men in Maroon were cruising, Mayers lost his wicket which gave Zimbabwe the opening to stage a comeback into the game. Nicholas Pooran (34 runs off 36 balls) and Roston Chase (44 runs off 53 balls) got off to a decent start with the bat but failed to register a big knock. Once Pooran and Chase were dismissed, the Men in Maroon's innings fell apart completely. From 175/5 to 233 all out, West Indies shot themselves in the foot and lost the game with 32 balls to spare.
Tendai Chatara was the pick of all Zimbabwe bowlers as he bagged three wickets. Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Raza bagged two wickets each while Wellington Masakadza chipped in with a wicket.
Earlier, Zimbabwe posted 268/10 in 49.5 overs with Raza top scoring for the team. The right-handed veteran batter played a quick-fire cameo of 68 runs off 58 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes. Ryan Burl (50 runs off 57 balls) also scored a half-century while captain Craig Ervine added 47 runs off 58 balls with the bat.
For West Indies, Keemo Paul bagged three wickets while Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosein chipped in with two wickets each. Mayers and Chase bagged a wicket each.
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