caroline chepkorir
In the T20 World Cup Africa sub-regional qualifier, Zimbabwe set a new record score of 344/4 against Gambia, achieving their biggest win in the format.
Last year, Nepal played against Mongolia in the Asian Games in Hangzhou and Nepal scored 314/3, the first time a team had crossed 300 points in an official T20 in men’s cricket. Zimbabwe defeated Gambia by 290 points, restricting Gambia to 54 points.
Opener Brian Bennett laid a strong foundation with 50 off 26 balls and Tadiwanashe Malumani scored 62 off 19 balls, with the duo contributing 98 runs in 5.4 overs. Clive Madande knocked 53 off 17 balls, including six fives and three fours.
Gambia’s Moussa Jobarte also ended up in the wrong record books as he conceded 93 runs out of the four overs he bowled, making it the most expensive performance in T20 and T20I history. Captain Ismaila Tamba could only hit 24 runs. In 2022, Matthew McKiernan recorded his worst performance of 0-82 in four overs in the Derbyshire-Somerset match.
Raza achieved the milestone with 33 deliveries and became the first cricketer from his country to reach 100 hits in this format of international matches. Dion Myers was Zimbabwe’s highest scorer until then, scoring only 96 points against Rwanda.
The tournament is a competition between 6 teams. The teams include Kenya, Mozambique, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Seychelles. Zimbabwe defeated Seychelles 286-5 a few days ago to move into the top five. This was the second-best result for a full squad in T20I at the time.
Zimbabwe have played three matches in this tournament and have won so far. This is his fourth victory. Both teams are vying to qualify for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
“Zimbabwe dominated with both bat and ball, setting a world record for the highest T20I total and securing a 290-run victory over Gambia. This result secured Zimbabwe a spot in the African finals. ICC Africa posted on X.
