Zimbabwe's T20 World Cup 2024 qualification in danger after shocking loss to Uganda
Zimbabwe suffered a heartbreaking loss to Uganda by five wickets on Sunday, November 26. It is their second defeat in three outings in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier.
Ranked 23rd in the world, Uganda restricted the African side to a below-par 136/7 in 20 overs. Despite a stuttering start to their reply, Uganda recovered and hunted down the score with five balls to spare.
It was Uganda's second win in three games, moving them to third in the seven-team race. Meanwhile, the much-fancied Zimbabwe dropped to fifth place with a lone victory in three matches.
With a top-two finish needed for the T20 World Cup 2024 qualification, Zimbabwe will need to win their final three outings and have several results go their way.
Star all-rounder Sikandar Raza top-scored for Zimbabwe with a 39-ball 48, but regular wickets derailed the team's progress with the bat. Despite being the only Test-playing nation in the competition, Zimbabwe has struggled to get going with bat and ball.
They suffered a seven-wicket defeat to hosts Namibia before rebounding with a nine-wicket win against Tanzania. Zimbabwe will play Rwanda, Nigeria, and Kenya in their last three fixtures.
The 2024 T20 World Cup will be played with 20 participating teams (12 already qualified and the other eight from Regional qualifiers) in the Caribbean and U.S.A., starting onJune 4.
Zimbabwe qualified for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia
Zimbabwe had to go through the grind of the qualifiers to play in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia. With only 12 teams participating in the main event, they had a much stiffer challenge of finishing in the top two of their group, comprising the West Indies, Ireland, and Scotland, to qualify.
Nevertheless, Zimbabwe battled admirably, winning two of their three games against Ireland and Scotland to finish atop Group B.
Having earned qualification for the main tournament, Zimbabwe were in a group featuring South Africa, Pakistan, Netherlands, India, and Bangladesh. Following a no result against the Proteas, Zimbabwe produced one of their most memorable wins by one run against Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived as they suffered a gut-wrenching three-run to Bangladesh in the next outing. The defeat seemed to have demoralized the team as they lost the final two games to the Netherlands and India to finish at the bottom of the group.