Muzarabani Returns as Zimbabwe Choose to Bowl Against Oman

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza elected to field first after winning the toss against Oman in their men’s T20 World Cup encounter at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo. With conditions expected to aid bowlers early on, both sides were content to have arrived in Sri Lanka well in advance to acclimatise.

Zimbabwe were boosted by the return of fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who missed the recent tri-series in Pakistan in November. His inclusion strengthens Zimbabwe’s pace attack as they begin their latest World Cup campaign.

Oman, meanwhile, handed a place to 44-year-old all-rounder Aamir Kaleem, making him the oldest player in the tournament. Kaleem comes into the XI as a replacement for Hasnain Shah, who was ruled out after sustaining an injury following the squad announcement.

This tournament marks Zimbabwe’s return to the T20 World Cup after missing the previous edition held in the West Indies and the United States. The African side had reached the Super 12 stage in 2022 but failed to qualify for the 2024 tournament. Their qualification for this edition came alongside Namibia, with Brian Bennett emerging as the leading run-scorer in the qualifiers, while Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava featured prominently among the top wicket-takers.

Zimbabwe have also been reinforced by the return of Graeme Cremer, whose comeback in November 2025 represented the longest gap between T20I appearances in the men’s game.

Oman are one of three teams to qualify from the Asia-Pacific region, along with Nepal and the United Arab Emirates. This is their fourth appearance at a T20 World Cup, having previously featured in the 2016, 2021, and 2024 editions.

Teams:

Oman: Jatinder Singh (capt), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmad

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (capt), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani