Match 1:- Zimbabwe vs Oman :

(Cricket news) Although Oman won the toss against Zimbabwe and gave the opponents a chance to bat first Zimbabwe stood up with a dominating target of  332-7 in 50 overs. Oman could only reach 318 runs during their chase after an incredible performance from Zimbabwe bowlers who gave their all for the win their 1st match of the ICC WC Qualifiers Super-six stage. 

Sean Williams and Blessing Muzarabani, both starred with bat and ball respectively in the match. Williams scored a fiery 142 runs off just 103 deliveries which included 14 fours and 3 sixes. Later, the run rate was maintained by another star all-rounder Sikandar Raza who posted 42 and was partnered by Luke Jongwe whose unbeaten 43 helped Zimbabwe go past 300. There were no winning efforts demonstrated by Oman’s playing 11 as they were dropping the catches regularly and bowlers also couldn’t find a way to break the partnerships on time.

A win over Oman will be a leap for Craig Ervine’s side in securing their position in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Zimbabwe now requires just a couple of wins in their three remaining Super Six matches to confirm qualification. Oman, on the other hand, has zero points in the ICC WC23 Super Six just like the West Indies. 

Match 2:- Sri Lanka vs Netherlands: 

Sri Lanka persisted a fright from the Netherlands, who came into this game high on confidence after beating the West Indies in a thrilling super-over game. Winning the toss and choose to bat first, Sri Lanka underwhelmed as their top-order collapsed with the bat and posted a mere target of 213 inside 48 overs. 

On the Dutch side, it was the previous match’s hero Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede sharing six wickets between them, Coming in to bat at No.6, Dhananjaya de Silva lifted Sri Lanka from 96/6 and gave them something to defend,  his masterful and steady innings of 93 runs in a high-pressure situation and testing conditions, helped Sri Lanka to a decent total.

The Netherlands didn’t start the chase well as they lost both their openers for ducks and then came Wesley Barresi and Bas de Leede who stood steady and faced the bowlers boldly, posting 77 runs for the third wicket. However, Barresi’s run-out rejuvenated the hopes of Sri Lanka. 

Maheesh Theekshana who bowled spectacularly turned the game in his team’s favour significantly by picking up three wickets in back-to-back overs. He was supported by Wanindu Hasaranga who also chipped in with a couple of wickets. The Netherlands were bowled out for 192 with 10 overs to go, Scott Edwards, who scored 67*, keeping his side at life in the hunt for ICC WC23 but couldn’t get any support from the non-striker end. 

Match 3:- West Indies vs Scotland: 

Scotland will lock horns with West Indies in the 3rd Super Sixes match of the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023. Scotland had won three of their four matches and finished the league stage in the second position in Group B.

On the other hand, West Indies, have won two and lost two from four games and finished in the third position in Group A in ICC WC Qualifiers.

Scotland will take on West Indies with full confidence as they won their last match against Sri Lanka and will look forward to continuing their form and giving their all to qualify for the ICC WC23. In the previous, match both the bowlers and batter performed well for the team and demonstrated that they are worthy to qualify. 

West Indies had a trashing experience from the previous match against the Netherlands, where the game went till the last ball of the 2nd inning and tied the match. The game was something that could advertise the brand of cricket to the world. When West Indies were asked to bat, they made the most of it and smashed a crest-like target of 374 runs on the board. The Netherlands in turn gave the answer very well and did not back down and continued their odyssey in the ICC Tournament. 

However, the match got tied on the very last ball of the innings, and the game went to the super over, where Logan van Beek dominated and smashed Jason Holder by scoring 30 runs in the over. Unfortunately, West Indies could not chase it down, and the Netherlands had a thrilling victory.

Also read: Duleep Trophy 2023 scoreboard: Central Zone vs East Zone, Day