Sikandar Raza takes 4 wickets to help Zimbabwe win

• Zimbabwe beat the Netherlands by 37 runs.
• The result means the Netherlands will play Namibia, Sri Lanka and the UAE.
• Sikandar Raza got 4 for 8

Sikandar Raza got 4 for 8 to help bowl out the Netherlands for 95 in 18.2 overs. Zimbabwe’s 37-run win in Bulawayo kept the Netherlands from winning their third straight Twenty20 World Cup Qualifier.

The result means Zimbabwe will be in a group alongside Ireland, Scotland, and West Indies in the T20 World Cup in Australia in October. The Netherlands will play Namibia, Sri Lanka, and the UAE in Geelong in the first round. Each group’s top two teams progress to the Super 12 stage.

Both sides had dominated with the bat until Sunday’s low-scoring thriller. Sean Williams at No. 3 made 28 off 25 balls. With Regis Chakabva’s 27 from 16 balls, it helped Zimbabwe defend its lead.

Logan van Beek bowled captain Craig Ervine for 10 in the third over for Australia. Chakabva tried too many reversal punches against Bas de Leede’s medium speed and was lbw in the fifth. Wessly Madhevere swung Tim Pringle’s full toss to deep midwicket for 9 to make it 54 for 3.

But Williams and Raza added 39 for the fourth wicket to put Zimbabwe back on track. The partnership ended when Williams hit Shariz Ahmad’s half-tracker to deep midwicket.

Van Beek returned in the 13th and had a hat-trick in a double-wicket maiden. Milton Shumba’s leg-side swipe generated a top edge taken by Scott Edwards. Raza was lbw for 19 playing over the line to a back-of-a-length delivery.

Zimbabwe only scored two more boundaries the remainder of the innings, but both were hit by Ryan Burl to open and end a key 10-run over by Fred Klaassen in the 17th. Burl was run out for 15 on the first ball of the 18th over, and the tail was wiped away shortly afterwards.

Madhevere caught Netherlands opener Max O’Dowd for 12 in the third over of the chase, then lbw’d de Leede, the hero of the semi-final triumph against USA. Stephan Myburgh and Tom Cooper helped the Netherlands rebound from 17-2 to score 43 on the power play.

That was until Cooper was run out by a straight hit to the non-end striker’s for 9. After hitting two fours and three sixes in the powerplay, Netherlands didn’t reach the rope again until the 17th over.

In the 10th, Myburgh was bowled for 22 by Raza’s maiden over. In the 11th, Edwards hit Williams to short fine leg for 7.

Raza bowled Logan van Beek in the 12th for a third-ball duck, then bowled Pringle for 4 and pinned Klaassen in front for a golden duck. Dutch fell from 17 for 6 to 62 for 8.

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