INFORM top order batter Brian Bennett guided Zimbabwe to a 113-run victory over Tanzania in their last group stage match at Harare Sports Club yesterday, sailing through to the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier as group leaders and effectively avoiding Namibia.
Both Zimbabwe and Namibia can only meet in the final, but more importantly, they would have booked their place at next year’s T20 World Cup.
The semi-finals are set to take place tomorrow at Harare Sports Club, with Namibia facing Tanzania in the morning and host Zimbabwe entertaining Kenya in the afternoon.
Zimbabwe made one change, bringing in Dion Myers for Brendan Taylor who scored a century, his first in T20 against Botswana on Sunday.
The Chevrons put up a commanding 221 runs for the loss of five wickets, their second successive score above 200 in these qualifiers.
On Sunday, they scored 259 against Botswana. Bennett scored his maiden T20 century, top-scoring with 111 runs from 60 balls, hitting 15 boundaries and two sixes walking away with yet another Player of the match accolade.
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His fellow opener Tadiwanashe Marumani fell one run short of a half-century, scoring 49 off 34 deliveries, with five fours and two maximums.
Ryan Burl scored 22, and skipper Sikandar Raza scored 19, making notable contributions with the bat.
Bennett's partnership with Marumani laid a solid foundation for the Chevrons, and the subsequent contributions from Burl and Raza ensured that Zimbabwe posted a formidable total.
For Tanzania, Khalidy Juma (2/39) and Ally Kimote (2/42) were the pick of the bowlers, both bowling four overs, but their efforts were in vain as Zimbabwe’s batting line-up proved too strong.
In response, Tanzania struggled to build momentum, eventually succumbing to 108 all out inside 18.4 overs.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers were ruthless in their execution, with seamer Bradley Evans leading the charge with four wickets for 16 runs in his four overs.
Raza and Richard Ngarava picked two wickets each, while Tinotenda Maposa and Ryan Burl claimed one each.
Zimbabwe’s dominant performance in all departments sealed their spot in the semi-finals and set the stage for a potential showdown with Namibia in the final should the two teams win their respective semi-final clashes.