Zimbabwe warm up with win over Netherlands

Thursday, 5 February 2026 02:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A fine display with the bat and ball saw Zimbabwe through to a 29-run win over the Netherlands.

In their first warm-up clash in Colombo, Zimbabwe elected to bat and posted a strong 178/9. While Ryan Burl top scored with 50 off 31 runs, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers and captain Sikandar Raza chipped in with cameos. Pacer Logan van Beek was the pick of the Dutch bowlers, as he claimed 3/22 in three overs.

The Netherlands’ chase got off to a stuttering start, as they lost the first two wickets in the first over. Left-arm pacer Richard Ngarava ran through the Dutch top order, snapping the first three wickets and finishing with figures of 3/11. Graeme Cremer may be one of the key players for Zimbabwe during the World Cup on spinner-friendly tracks in India and Sri Lanka and the leg spinner returned with an impressive 2/15 in three overs.

A defiant 40 not out by van Beek ensured that Netherlands played out their quota of overs, but they could only muster 149.

Netherlands and Pakistan will clash in the T20 World Cup opener on February 7 in Colombo.