Zimbabwe pulled off a thrilling 14-run win against Oman in the opening match of the Super Six round of the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023 on Thursday, June 29. Veteran all-rounder Sean Williams registered his third century in a World Cup qualifier as Zimbabwe. A late comeback denied Oman at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club.
After being forced to bat first, Sean Williams continued his fine form in the qualifiers to get Zimbabwe off to a flying start. Captain Craig Ervine returned to open the innings but managed only 21 runs before being caught by Fayyaz Butt. Wicketkeeper batsmen Joylord Gumby and Wesley Madhevere also failed to make big innings despite giving good starts.
But the in-form Williams and Sikandar Raza shared a 102-run partnership for the fourth wicket to keep Zimbabwe on course for a big score. Raza scored 42 runs in 49 balls while Williams scored 142 runs in 103 balls with the help of 14 fours and three sixes. Fast bowler Luke Jongwe scored 43* off 28 balls as Zimbabwe posted a total of 332/7. For Oman, fast bowler Faiyaz Butt took four wickets, including the valuable wickets of Williams and Raza.
Chasing a mammoth target, India-born opener Kashyap Prajapati registered his maiden international century to keep Oman’s hopes of chasing a successful target alive. He scored 103 off 97 and Aaqib Ilyas and Ayaan Khan added crucial innings to keep the game balanced till the end.
But Zimbabwe managed to defend 39 runs in the last 18 balls, with in-form pacers Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani taking three wickets each. Chatara dismissed Zeeshan Maqsood on the last ball of the innings to give Zimbabwe a 14-run victory. With the win, Zimbabwe topped the Super Six round table with six points and now need only two points to secure a place in the ICC World Cup in India.