Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe has failed to advance past the semifinals for the second time in two Qualifiers, and as a result, they will not be attending the 2023 World Cup. Like in 2018, they needed to win one of their final two games, however they were unable to do so.
The uniqueness of sport that the perception of an event can be radically altered by hindsight is fascinating. It appeared that Zimbabwe had the upper hand when Scotland was suffocated by Zimbabwe's bowlers for the entirety of their innings, hardly managing to keep their run rate above four per over.
When Scotland managed to scrape together a total of 234 thanks to a run burst of 54 runs in the final five overs, it appeared that they had reached a respectable total but not one that would realistically trouble an experienced and in-form Zimbabwe batting lineup, especially in front of a home crowd that has been electrifying throughout the tournament.
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But that innings-long strangle started to take on a different gloss, one instead of steely grit, as Chris Sole's quick bowling sent Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine, and Sean Williams packing inside the first seven overs – the first caught behind, the other two clean bowled. When everything was said and done, Zimbabwe was the first to falter, falling 31 runs short, with Scotland eliminating them.
This was the definition of a team victory. Prior to Sole's heroics, at least six batters combined to provide 20 runs on a slick Bulawayo field; Michael Leask was the best of the lot with a 34-ball 48.
Out of the six batters that passed 20, with the exception of Leask, only Brandon McMullen (34 off 34) and Mark Watt (21 off 15) scored at even a strike rate of 70 or above. On a surface like this, they made sure that Scotland checked off the most crucial box by batting for their full 50 overs.
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Then, with the ball, each of the six bowlers used claimed at least one wicket, emphasizing the importance of the teamwork. Together, they survived a comeback led by Ryan Burl that featured 54 and 73-run stands between Sikandar Raza and Wesley Madhevere at the fifth and sixth wickets, respectively, both partnerships moving along at over a run per ball. Throughout everything, the needed rate was only a little bit above four. The Scottish bowlers were under pressure, but they never gave up because they knew that a wicket would turn the tide of the match. So it turned out.
Raza holing out at long-off would be considered an unforced blunder in an innings that was packed with wickets that were caught off fine balls. At this point, Scotland may have started to believe.
However, after not having played a notable innings during the competition, Madhevere and Burl put together the largest partnership of the game as they discovered the odd boundary and capitalized on the ones and twos. Enter Mark Watt, who had earlier put up 21 from 15, and he managed to grip and turn one, trapping Madhevere in front to claim his sole wicket of the contest.
Burl was now alone, having just the tail for company. Burl persisted and eventually shot a career-best 83 off 84, but it wasn't enough. He mistimed a slog-sweep to midwicket with 38 needed off the final 11.3 overs and two wickets still up for grabs after dispatching the previous two deliveries for four and six. Such heartbreaks were unavoidable in a game with so much on the line.
None more so than for Williams, the star performer of the competition with 600 runs at an exact 100 batting average. Sole gave him a real gem. Although this was Williams' moment, there are some things in life that are unavoidable, such as a 149 kph thunderbolt nipping back in at your off peg.
Euphoria is the opposite of heartbreak. In this competition, Scotland has now defeated three Full Member teams. They wouldn't have been able to play ODIs for at least another year if they had lost today.
On their path to these qualifiers, they won league two, defeated teams with greater reputations, and now they must compete against Netherlands again on Thursday. They will have a lot more cricket to prepare for if they take the necessary action.
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