Zimbabwe advances in their quest to qualify for the World Cup

Zimbabwe overcame Oman by 14 runs in their opening game in Bulawayo by maintaining the consistency they shown in Group A, with Williams maintaining his impressive run of form.

The hosts are now up to six points in the Super Six owing to their four points carried over and an additional two obtained at the Queens Sports Club after going 4 for 4 in the group stages.Oman put up a valiant fight, with Kashyap Prajapati scoring a century, but they were never able to match the pace as they attempted to reach the target of 333.

Sean Williams has three hundreds and a 91 in five innings at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023, and he was at it again to defeat Oman.

After being given the opportunity to bat, Zimbabwe scored a magnificent 142 from just 103 balls, setting them up to make 332 for seven and win by 14 runs.

Williams took the crease after captain Craig Ervine (21) was dismissed by Kaleemullah (1/39), and shortly after, Joylord Gumbie (25) was dismissed by Fayyaz Butt (4/79), leaving Zimbabwe 48 for two.

Williams and Wessly Madhevere (23) began the rebuild with a 64-run partnership, and after that, Williams and Sikandar Raza (42) added 112 runs for the fourth wicket to establish the groundwork for a massive total.

After catching Ryan Burl (13) leg before, Fayyaz dismissed both of the set batters, but Zimbabwe still had a strong position at 276 for 6 with five over left.

They reached an even higher total because to some powerful hitting from Luke Jongwe, who required just 28 balls to smash an unbeaten 43, a performance that ultimately proved to be pivotal. From the beginning, Kashyap Prajapati batted aggressively, controlling a first-innings stand of 29 until Jatinder Singh was dismissed after making just two contributions.

Aqib Ilyas was then brought to the crease, and after Kashyap took the initiative, the two added 83 runs. A 44-run partnership between Zeeshan Maqsood and Raza came to an end when the captain was forced to retire hurt after tearing his hamstring while attempting a sweep. Raza then had Aqib caught behind for 45.

It appeared that Kashyap would need to bat until the very end as the needed rate increased, but a sensational catch by Raza off Blessing Muzarabani terminated his effort after just 103 balls.

After Shoaib Khan was caught and bowled for 11 by Richard Ngarava, Oman was left requiring 142 runs from 15 overs. Ayaan Khan, though, was not going down without a fight and scored 47 runs off just 43 deliveries before being caught by Muzarabani in the deep in the 45th over.
The next player was Kaleemullah, who was caught on the boundary by Jongwe in a stunning catch that required him to juggle the ball twice as he crossed the rope.

Oman's race was all but over when they needed 29 runs off the final over, despite the fact that Mohammad Nadeem (30*) gave it his all to lead Oman to a memorable triumph.

Oman reached their best ODI score thanks to Zeeshan (37), who returned and hit a six and a four off the final over, but they fell 14 runs short as he was bowled off the final ball.
Zimbabwe beat Oman at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo by 14 runs
Zimbabwe 332/7 in 50 overs (Sean Williams 142, Luke Jongwe 43*; Fayyaz Butt 4/79, Kaleemullah 1/39)
Oman 318/9 in 50 overs (Kashyap Prajapati 103, Ayaan Khan 47, Aqib Ilyas 45; Blessing Muzarabani 3/57, Tendai Chatara 3/73)