Zimbabwe claimed the final spot in the Super 12s stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup, beating Scotland by five wickets in Hobart on Friday.
Scotland won the toss and their captain Richie Berrington opted to bat first. But the decision didn't turn out well as they failed to post a big total on the board against an opponent who have been doing well for a while now.
Scotland lost quick wickets that put pressure on this early in the match. George Munsey, the opener, hit a fifty but others in the top-order failed to deliver well, and thus they only managed to score 132 for six in 20 overs, reports UNB.
Zimbabwean pacer Tendai Chatara bowled superbly to take two wickets conceding only 14 runs in four overs. Sikandar Raza, who made it a habit to perform consistently, also bowled well to take one wicket conceding 20 runs in four overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe had a shaky start. They lost Regis Chakabva and Wesley Madhevere in the first two overs. Sean Williams also fell early scoring seven runs.
But there were Craig Ervine, the Zimbabwean captain, and Raza who helped Zimbabwe to come out of this early damage and guided the team to a victory in an all-crucial match.
Ervine posted 58 off 54 while Raza hit 40 off just 23 balls. Both of them were sent back with Zimbabwe needing only a few runs to seal the match.
Josh Davey bagged two wickets for the Scots, but that was not enough for them to turn the match their way.
With this one, Zimbabwe joined Bangladesh, Netherlands, South Africa India and Pakistan in Group 2 in the Super 12s of the World Cup. In their first match in the Super 12s, Zimbabwe will take on South Africa on October 24 in Hobart.