Zimbabwe Beats The Gambia by 290 Runs in Record T20 Match

Zimbabwe has set a new world record for the highest score in men’s T20 international cricket, amassing 344 runs for 4 wickets against The Gambia in Nairobi, Kenya. Sikandar Raza led the charge with an impressive 133 not out off just 43 balls while Zimbabwe won the match by a staggering 290 runs after bowling out their opponents for just 54 runs. This remarkable achievement surpassed the previous record of 314 runs set by Nepal against Mongolia last year in Hangzhou, China.

Raza reached his century in just 33 balls tying with Namibia’s Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for the second-fastest T20I century in history. The fastest remains Sahil Chauhan’s 27-ball century for Estonia against Cyprus in June. In addition to Raza’s standout performance, Tadiwanashe Marumani contributed 62 runs off 19 balls, Clive Madande scored 53 not out off 17 balls and Brian Bennett added 50 runs off 26 balls, all contributing to Zimbabwe’s record-breaking innings.

On the bowling side, Brandon Mavuta and Richard Ngarava each took three wickets with Mavuta finishing with figures of 3 for 10 and Ngarava 3 for 13. Zimbabwe’s commanding victory guarantees their place in the final round of Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup. Alongside Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya have also secured their spots in the next stage.

The Gambia’s experience in the tournament has been challenging. Since becoming an Associate member of the ICC in 2017, they have faced difficulties including becoming the first team to lose two T20 internationals by walkover due to their inability to fulfill matches against Rwanda and Seychelles. The Gambia Cricket Association explained to BBC Sport that they arrived late to the tournament because of “issues with getting the appropriate documentation to enter Kenya.”