Zimbabwe smash records galore en route T20i record total against Gambia in the African T20 World Cup qualifier.
Zimbabwe shattered the record for the highest total in T20 cricket on Wednesday when they ran up a total of 344 for 4 against Gambia.
Sikandar Raza led the charge with a century off of just 33 balls, Zimbabwe’s first century in the format. With 15 sixes, he ultimately finished undefeated at 133. His teammates also set that record with 12 more hits. Nepal had previously held the records for both the most sixes hit in an innings (26), and the highest total (314).
Zimbabwe made history on Wednesday at the Ruaraka Sports Club Ground in Nairobi, demonstrating their resolve from the very first ball they faced. They reached fifty runs in 3.2 overs. In just 13 balls, Tadiwanashe Marumani reached his higher.
Before the powerplay ended, the team hundred was up, and they then had to test how far they could throw the ball into the stands. Four Zimbabwean batsmen scored fifty or more runs, setting another T20 record, and there were 57 boundaries in the innings overall. Clive Mandande reached 53 off 17 after smashing the last ball of the innings for six, and Brian Bennett reached 50 of 26.
However, Raza was the main attraction. After the fielding limits were loosened, he entered the batting order at the end of the seventh over, but it had no effect. He became the owner of the second-fastest century in Twenty20 International cricket after hitting the third ball he faced for six and going on a run-scoring rampage. In February 2024, he scored 33 balls to match Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s total for Namibia versus Nepal.
The western nation of Gambia, the smallest in continental Africa, has very little power to halt the flow of water. With four overs for 93, Musa Jorbateh let up the most runs of any bowler in a Twenty20 match. During their period, he was one of five bowlers to reach 50 runs or more. After destroying Rwanda and Seychelles in the opening two games in the Africa sub-regional qualification, the team is still searching for its first victory. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has already won three of their last three games.