In the warm-up matches leading up to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier tournament, former world champions West Indies and Sri Lanka, along with hosts Zimbabwe, emerged victorious with comfortable wins over their respective opponents, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Scotland, and the USA.
West Indies powered by Powell's century
Rovman Powell's blazing century played a crucial role in helping West Indies recover from a shaky position of 198-7 during their innings against the UAE. After Nicholas Pooran's 74, which had set the stage for a commanding total, a quick flurry of wickets saw the Windies stumble. However, Powell joined forces with Keemo Paul, adding 139 runs for the eighth wicket. Powell's explosive knock of 105 off just 55 balls propelled the West Indies to a formidable total of 374 for nine. In response, the UAE's Basil Hameed fought valiantly with an unbeaten 122, but his efforts fell short as his team finished 114 runs behind.
Zimbabwe dominates against Scotland
In a match where Scotland batted first after being put into bat by hosts Zimbabwe, Brandon McMullen fell agonizingly close to a half-century, contributing 49 runs. However, Zimbabwe's disciplined bowling restricted Scotland to a total of 163. Zimbabwe chased down the target comfortably with six wickets in hand and almost 25 overs to spare. Sikandar Raza top-scored with a quickfire 44, while Joylord Gumbie and Craig Ervine also made valuable contributions of 37 runs each.
Karunaratne sets the stage for Sri Lanka's victory
Sri Lanka posted an imposing total of 392 for five against the USA, fueled by a splendid century from Dimuth Karunaratne. Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis built a solid partnership of 191 runs before Mendis departed for 105. Karunaratne retired not out on 111, making way for strong middle-order contributions from Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka, who added 112 runs for the fifth wicket. Chasing the mammoth total, the USA lost early wickets and struggled to recover. Monank Patel's 68 provided some resistance, but Sri Lanka's Matheesha Pathirana's three wickets in an over dented the USA's hopes. They eventually fell short by 198 runs.
Netherlands triumphs against Ireland
Ireland were bowled out for 193 as the Netherlands shared the wickets around, with Harry Tector being one of seven players to score single-digit figures. Lorcan Tucker's 74 provided a ray of hope for Ireland, but Saqib Zulfiqar's four-wicket haul limited their innings to an early close. In response, Wesley Barresi's 90 guided the Netherlands to victory, despite a late fightback from Ireland's Ben White, who claimed five wickets. The Netherlands sealed a two-wicket win with Aryan Dutt and Logan van Beek calmly finishing off the chase.
With these warm-up victories, the former world champions and host nation are in high spirits as they prepare for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier tournament, set to commence soon.
Scores in brief:
In Harare: West Indies 374/9 in 50 overs (Rovman Powell 105, Nicholas Pooran 74; Muhammad Jawadullah 3-50, Karthik Meiyappan 2-51) beat UAE 260/9 in 50 overs (Basil Hameed 122 not out, Vriitya Aravind 54; Yannic Cariah 4-58, Jason Holder 2-26) by 114 runs.
In Harare: Scotland 163 all out in 38.2 overs (Brandon McMullen 49, Matt Cross 32; Sean Williams 2-14, Luke Jongwe 2-17) lost to Zimbabwe 166/4 in 24.5 overs (Sikandar Raza 44, Joylord Gumbie 37; Michael Leask 2-30, Chris Greaves 1-24) by six wickets.
In Bulawayo: Sri Lanka 392/5 in 50 overs (Dimuth Karunaratne 111 not out, Kusal Mendis 105; Saurabh Netravalkar 2-60, Usman Rafiq 1-57) beat USA 194 all out in 33.2 overs (Monank Patel 68, Shayan Jahangir 63 not out; Matheesha Pathirana 4-23, Kasun Rajitha 2-28) by 198 runs.
In Bulawayo: Ireland 193 all out in 39.2 overs (Lorcan Tucker 74, Gareth Delany 46; Logan van Beek 2-23, Aryan Dutt 2-27) lost to Netherlands 196/8 in 37.3 overs (Wesley Barresi 90, Max O'Dowd 35; Ben White 5-61, Harry Tector 1-6) by two wickets.
In Harare: Oman 267 all out in 49.2 overs (Zeeshan Maqsood 109, Ayaan Khan 56; Sompal Kami 5-57, Sandeep Lamichhane 3-66) lost to Nepal 274/7 in 44.5 overs (Kushal Bhurtel 101 not out, Bhim Sharki 56; Aqib Ilyas 4-42, Fayyaz Butt 2-66) by three wickets.