ZIMBABWE'S four-wicket defeat to Oman in their final warm-up match in Sri Lanka did not faze the team much, as they have accomplished their 'spy' mission of gaining valuable insights into the lesser-known opposition ahead of their Group B ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener in Colombo on Monday.
The Group also has Australia, Ireland and hosts Sri Lanka.
Batting first, Zimbabwe posted 187/7 in 20 overs, with Brian Bennett top-scoring with 56 and Tashinga Musekiwa contributing 54.
Brendan Taylor retired out on 26 while Dion Myers weighed in with 26. The Zimbabwean batting lineup showed promise setting the tone for a competitive total.
Oman chased down the target with four balls to spare, thanks to some disciplined batting. Their innings was marked by some clever shot-making and calculated risk-taking, which ultimately paid off in the end.
Zimbabwe's bowlers put up a good fight, with Blessing Muzarabani claiming two wickets, while Graeme Cremer, Ryan Burl and Brad Evans took one wicket each. However, it was not enough to restrict Oman to a low enough total, as they managed to capitalise on their momentum and pulled through.
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Speaking after the match, Chevrons head coach Justin Sammons expressed satisfaction with the team's performance despite the loss.
"I thought it was a really good game. We got everything that we wanted out of it," Sammons told NewsDay Sport.
"Obviously it's nice to win these games, but more importantly for us, it was about gaining information about an opposition which we don't know much about. Seeing the way they played has given us plenty of information looking forward to our first game, which I'm really glad about."
Sammons praised his team's batting.
"Benny was brilliant at the top, BT was excellent...Musekiwa was brilliant. I think that knock will give lots of confidence. I think all in all, the team is in a good space," he said.
The Mukuru-sponsored Zimbabwe face Oman again in their opening match of the tournament on Monday, and Sammons is optimistic about the team's chances.
"We don't read into the result, more on the information gained which I thought was brilliant," he said.
The locals beat Netherlands by 29 runs in their first warm up encounter. Ryan Burl top scored with an unbeaten 50, Richard Ngarava picked three
wickets, while Wellington Masakadza and Graeme Cremer took two each.