Oman showcased their T20 prowess in the 11th warm-up match for the 2026 World Cup, defeating Zimbabwe by four wickets in Colombo. At the Sinhalese Sports Club, Zimbabwe batted first and reached 187 for 7, thanks to fiery starts and gritty middle-order efforts.
Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor provided the fireworks, racing to 86 in 7.4 overs. Bennett’s 56 off 28 balls included three sixes and seven fours, while Taylor’s 26 off 20 ended in retired out. Losing four wickets by 94, Zimbabwe relied on Dion Myers (26) and Tashinga Musakanda’s unbeaten 54 (28 balls, nine boundaries) for a 43-run stand.
Sufyan Mehmood’s three wickets headlined Oman’s bowling, with Nadeem Khan (2) and Shah Faisal (1) chipping in to restrict the scoring.
In reply, Oman lost early momentum but recovered brilliantly. Aamir Kaleem’s 23 off 11 (two sixes, two fours) gave a platform. Jatinder Singh then dominated, first with Hammad Mirza for 79 off 42 balls (Mirza 35, seven fours), then steering the chase personally with 55 off 33 (eight fours, one six, retired out).
Needing stability at 119 for 3, Karan Sonavale and Jiten Ramanandi delivered 41 crucial runs. Ramanandi’s unbeaten 34 off 18 (four fours, two sixes) and captain Vinayak Shukla’s 10 sealed victory in 19.2 overs.
Zimbabwe fought back with Blessing Muzarabani (2 wickets), Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, and Ryan Burl (one each). This hard-fought win underscores Oman’s batting depth and readiness for the global stage.