After defeating Kenya by seven wickets in the second semi-final of the Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Region Final on Thursday, October 2, at the Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe has advanced to the T20 World Cup 2026. The 17th side to earn a spot in the major tournament, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka, is the Chevrons. After losing to Uganda in the qualifiers, Zimbabwe missed the 2024 T20 World Cup and made their last appearance in the 20-over competition in 2022.
Prior to the game, Kenya won the toss and chose to bat first, but Zimbabwe held them to just 122/6.
With the exception of Rakep Patel, who hit 65 off 47, Kenya’s batting performance was incredibly lacklustre.
Sikandar Raza, the captain of Zimbabwe, was the most frugal of the group. He did not, however, take any wickets in his allocated quota. Tinotenda Maposa, Brad Evans, and Richard Ngarava each claimed a wicket, while Blessing Muzarabani made an impression with 2/19 in four overs.
By the time the run-chase’s powerplay ended, the game was all but over. Brian Bennett amassed 51 off just 25 before being removed on the second ball of the seventh over. Tony Munyonga and Ryan Burl crossed the line with their side. With some tight bowling, Vraj Patel and Gondaria gave it their all. It was not to be for Kenya, though.
They had been fortunate to advance from Group A earlier in the competition due to a somewhat higher net run rate than Nigeria. India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands are the other teams competing in the 2026 T20 World Cup, excluding Zimbabwe and Namibia. The Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier 2025 will determine the remaining three slots.
India
