Netherlands 140/5 (20/20 ov) Zimbabwe 146/5 (20.0/20 ov) Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZIMBABWE beat Netherlands by five wickets off the final delivery of their crucial ICC World T20 qualifying match in Sylhet on Wednesday to keep their hopes of competing in the main draw alive.
After losing the first match of the tournament to Ireland in another last ball thriller it was the same case again yesterday as Zimbabwe were left needing a single off the last bowl to win the match.
Vusi Sibanda however kept his nerve to smash a six off the final ball to hand Zimbabwe their first win in the qualifying tournament.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor top scored for Zimbabwe with 49 runs off 39 deliveries while opener Hamilton Masakadza scored 43 runs.
Earlier, a superb half-century from Tom Cooper lifted the Netherlands to 140 for five after they were floundering on 35 for four.
Cooper was unbeaten on 72, having faced 58 deliveries.
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Prosper Utseya finished with 2-24.
Netherland’s top order failed to impress, but Cooper first combined with his younger brother, Ben (20), for 52 runs before Mudassar Bukhari (14 not out) added 53 runs for the sixth wicket with the older of the siblings to give their bowlers a total to defend.
Netherlands kept faith in the same XI which beat the UAE two days ago, while Zimbabwe swapped one legspinner for another, bringing in Natsai M’shangwe for Tafadzwa Kamungozi.
