Sikandar Raza Leads Zimbabwe to Record-Breaking T20 Victory

Sikandar Raza delivered an explosive performance, scoring an unbeaten 133 runs off just 43 balls, as Zimbabwe set a new record with an innings total of 344-4 in their T20 World Cup sub-regional Africa qualifier against The Gambia. Zimbabwe then dominated the match, bowling out The Gambia for a mere 54 runs in 14.4 overs, securing victory by a staggering 290 runs—the largest winning margin in T20 history.

Raza’s remarkable innings featured 15 sixes, marking his first T20I century and pushing Zimbabwe to a new highest total in T20s, surpassing Nepal’s previous record of 314-3 against Mongolia last year. His century came off just 33 balls, making him the first Zimbabwean to achieve this feat in international T20 matches.

The opening pair of Brian Bennett (50) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (62) set the tone with a rapid 98-run partnership for the first wicket off 34 balls. Raza, alongside Clive Madande (who scored 53 not out), added an impressive 141 runs for the fifth wicket in just 40 deliveries.

On the bowling side, Musa Jobarteh faced a challenging day, conceding 93 runs in his four overs, setting an unwanted T20 record for the most runs given by a bowler. The previous worst figures were 0-82 in four overs by leg-spinner Matthew McKiernan for Derbyshire against Somerset in 2022.

With this win, Zimbabwe aims to progress to the next stage of the Africa qualifiers for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka.