A PACKED Harare Sports Club reverberated into song and dance as Zimbabwe scripted a famous 35-run victory over the West Indies in a crucial ICC Men’s World Cup Qualifier to edge closer to realising their goal of making a return to the global competition yesterday.
After victories against Nepal and Netherlands last week, the win against one of the pre-tournament favourites meant Zimbabwe qualified for the Super Sixes stage of the competition ahead of their final Group A match against USA tomorrow.
The Chevrons are now just three wins away from qualifying for the ICC Men’s World Cup, which would go a long way in atoning for the heartbreak of missing out on the previous edition of the showpiece event.
The famous victory against the Windies was a befitting tribute to the team’s growing fan base, which had already packed Harare Sports Club to the rafters before midway, something never witnessed before at the venue.
The massive turnout resulted in some fans being turned away at the gates while others were forced to watch proceedings from the fan park,which had been set up at the adjacent rugby field by Zimbabwe Cricket.
While both the fans and the players were celebrating in the end after player of the match, Sikandar Raza claimed a beautiful catch off seamer Tendai Chatara’s bowling to dismiss Alzarri Joseph; it was by no means an easy win for the Chevrons.
The Windies, who have dominated previous matches between the two teams, were on top for long periods in the match, but like they have done so often since the arrival of head coach Dave Houghton, the Chevrons showed remarkable fighting spirit to claim a memorable victory.
After winning the toss and electing to field, the tourists appeared to have done enough to maintain their dominance against the hosts by restricting the Chevrons to a modest 268 in 49.5 overs.
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Half centuries by all-rounders Sikandar Raza (68 off 58 balls) and Ryan Burl (50 from 57 balls) led the charge with a fifth wicket partnership stand of 87 runs after skipper Craig Ervine and Joylord Gumbie had set the platform with an opening partnership of 63 runs.
Raza, whose record-breaking century guided Zimbabwe to victory against Netherlands last week, benefited from some sloppy fielding from the Windies after being dropped three times including when he was just on one run.
He made the best of the opportunities by smashing six fours and two sixes during his 58-ball 68 while Ervine was also dropped on mid-on by Rovman Powel in the 15th over on 25.
After the solid foundation laid by the top and middle order, Zimbabwe lost wickets regularly to put the West Indies in the driving seat.
However, bowlers Blessing Muzarabani, who scored 11 off seven deliveries, and Tendai Chatara (eight off eight balls) provided the late flourish Zimbabwe needed to post what ended up being a match-winning target of 268.
In reply, West Indies were on top in the run chase as they cruised to 110 for two inside 19 overs, but in the end they could only manage 233 off 44.4 overs with Kyle Mayers being the only batsman to surpass the half century mark with 56 runs from 72 balls.
The trio of Nicholas Pooran (34) Shai Hope (30) and Brandon King (20) all made good contributions, but Zimbabwe claimed wickets at crucial periods as the Windies slumped from 134 for four to 233 all-out.
Despite losing wickets from the other end Roston Chase 44 off 53 gave the Windies some hope until his dismissal by Chatara in the 43rd over.
Chatara, who had initially found the going tough in Zimbabwe’s opening two matches, initially struggled against the Windies before finishing strongly to end with three wickets for 52 runs in 9.4 overs.
The trio of Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani and Raza also picked two wickets apiece in an impressive all-round bowling display as Zimbabwe claimed their first win in seven years against the Windies and 11th overall across 50 meetings in ODIs.
While Zimbabwe have now qualified for the Super Sixes, West Indies are likely to move into the next stage of the competition.
Zimbabwe on six points top the group while the Windies and Netherlands are both on four, with the latter only ahead on net run rate (NRR).
The top three teams in each group will then progress to super six stage where they will play teams coming from the other group.
The top teams will qualify for the World Cup in India and also a final for the trophy, but that result won’t affect the qualification of the team.
Zimbabwe face the United States at Harare Sports Club tomorrow, while West Indies meet Netherlands in their final group game at Takashisha.
