Zimbabwe has won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B defeating the Netherlands and securing the final spot in Group B in the First Round at Australia 2022 alongside Ireland, Scotland and West Indies. Australia will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time ever between October 16 and November 13 2022 across seven host cities, with Geelong and Hobart playing host to the First Round.
Zimbabwe’s first match will take place on the second day of the Men’s T20 World Cup against fellow qualifier Ireland in Hobart on October 17. The evening match will be played as part of a double-header, with West Indies taking on Scotland in the afternoon fixture.
Runner-up Netherlands will join Sri Lanka, Namibia and the United Arab Emirates in Group A, playing their first match on the opening day of the World Cup in Geelong against the United Arab Emirates. This will be an evening match following 2014 champions Sri Lanka facing Namibia in the T20 World Cup opener.
On a day of low-scoring encounters in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B, hosts Zimbabwe secured a 37-run win over the Netherlands in the final despite being restricted to just 132 batting first. Sikandar Raza was the hero for the home side, taking four for eight from his four overs during a spell in which the Dutch lost six wickets for just 17 runs.
Logan van Beek (3/18) had earlier played an important role for the Netherlands, removing both skipper Craig Ervine and Raza as Zimbabwe slumped from 93 for three to 132 all out.
In reply, the Dutch made a reasonable start, sitting at 45 for two before the wickets started tumbling, with Raza trapping Stephan Myburgh (22) leg before for his first wicket and arguably the most important of the match.
Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine said: “It’s unbelievable. This is what we used to know Zimbabwe cricket to be like, all the supporters coming out and cheering for us. And over the past week, we’ve definitely given them something to cheer about. From the players’ point of view, it’s good to see the cheers and the happiness back in the crowd.
“We’ve just got to concentrate on what we have done over this week. The World Cup First Round is in October so there is plenty of time between now and then to have a chat and think about how we are going to go about that.”
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said: “Both teams came out here to win and they were too good for us today. We got what we came here for in qualifying for the World Cup, it’s just a little bit disappointing that we couldn’t perform in the final.”
“Each group (at the World Cup) has got its challenges so we’ll prepare for Australia and the teams we are playing against and see how we go,” he added.
Group A: Namibia, Sri Lanka, UAE, Netherlands
Group B: Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe
Group 1: Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, Winner Group A, Runner-Up Group B
Group 2: India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, Runner Up Group A, Winner Group B
