Gambia had no answer to Zimababwe’s all-round brilliance as they lost miserably in a one-sided match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier Group B. Whom to credit? Sikandar Raza’s majestic records rewrote the history books against Gambia. The all-rounder made the game competitive, scoring 133 not out of just 43 balls that led his team to the highest total in T20I history, overtaking Nepal’s record of 314.
In this display of sheer power hitting, Sikandar Raza’s records against Gambia featured the most runs through boundaries in a T20I innings: 118 were of seven fours and 15 sixes. Zimbabwe made far too much for Gambia who folded to just 54 runs resulting in Zimbabwe breaking the record books with a 290-run win.
Sikandar Raza’s records against Gambia didn’t stop at his epic hundred. He also broke into the record books for knocking most sixes in a T20I innings for Zimbabwe. He ended up smashing 15 maximums and breaking Dion Myers’ previous record of eight. Raza had seen himself hold the record with nine sixes earlier, but this performance against Gambia saw him end it in style breaking his record. Explosive knocks from Brian Bennett (50 off 26) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (62 off 19) added to the robustness of Zimbabwe’s innings, setting them up for an innings total of monumental proportions.
Sikandar Raza’s records against Gambia helped outshine Zimbabwe, Gambia’s Musa Jobarteh’s spell gone wrong
On the other hand, Gambia’s Musa Jobarteh made his mark in the record book, but for all the wrong reasons. He became the bowler to concede the most runs in a T20I innings as he conceded 93 runs in his four overs, breaking the previous record of 75 runs held by Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha. Jobarteh could hardly check Zimbabwe’s non-stop onslaught as Sikandar Raza’s records against Gambia kept mounting with every boundary.
Chasing a daunting 345, Gambia’s match became one-sided. They faltered early and didn’t regain momentum at any point. Regular intervals of falls meant that the Gambia lineup was dismantled by the chief destroyers of Zimbabwe, Richard Ngarava and Brandon Mavuta. No Gambian batsman could reach double figures except for Andre Jarju, who got not out on 12 runs. Indeed, the final score of 54 all out by Gambia at the end pointed to just how strong Zimbabwe’s bowling attack was during the Zimbabwe vs Gambia match.
The result not only affirmed Zimbabwe’s supremacy in the T20 World Cup qualifiers but also came at the best margin in their T20I history. The 290 run-way outflanked the previous records, showing just how dominant they were over the game. Sikandar Raza will live in cricket history with his records against the Gambia, as well as the Chevrons who managed to sum a total of 344 as one of the most memorable performances in T20Is.
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