Colombo, February 9 Highly-rated Brian Bennett showcased his talent on the big stage with an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls, complementing the bowlers' excellent performance and helping Zimbabwe secure an eight-wicket victory over Oman in their T20 World Cup match here on Monday.
Opting to bowl, Blessing Muzarabani dominated with the new ball before his pace-bowling colleague Richard Ngarava joined him in the demolition job, dismissing Oman for 103.
The duo of Muzarabani (3/16 in 4 overs) and Richard Ngarava (3/17 in 4 overs) were the most successful bowlers for Zimbabwe, as Oman put up a lackluster batting performance. They were in danger of being dismissed for a much lower total after slipping to 27 for five in the seventh over.
Pacer Brad Evans also contributed with impressive figures of 3/18 from 3.5 overs in a brilliant Zimbabwean bowling performance.
Zimbabwe then had a strong start to the chase, thanks to Tadiwanashe Marumani, who scored 21 off 11 balls before Wasim Ali dismissed the opener with a stunning catch.
Sufyan Mehmood then dismissed Dion Myers for a duck in the same over.
However, Bennett and experienced wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor (31 retired hurt off 30 balls) put on 68 runs for the third wicket, completing the task for Zimbabwe in just 13.3 overs.
The 22-year-old Bennett, who came into the World Cup after enjoying a prolific run at home, scoring three half-centuries and a hundred to secure Zimbabwe's place in the tournament, continued in the same vein and demonstrated why he is so highly rated.
Needless to say, Bennett's form will be crucial for Zimbabwe's success in the tournament.
Taylor also played some fine shots, contributing to an easy victory for a team that wants to prove itself after missing the last edition of the tournament.
Earlier, Vinayak Shukla (28 off 21 balls), Sufyan Mehmood (25 off 39), and Nadeem Khan (20 off 18) were the significant contributors with the bat for Oman.
Opting to field after the coin landed in favour of Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza, Muzarabani struck thrice, with left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava taking one wicket, leaving Oman precariously placed at 17 for four in the fourth over.
Raza then came into the attack and successfully dismissed Wasim Ali with a flighted delivery that disturbed his stumps.
After none of their top five batters managed to reach double digits, Mehmood and Shukla tried to stabilize the Oman innings with a partnership of 42 runs for the sixth wicket.
However, just when their association had begun to raise hopes of lending their total a semblance of respectability, Oman lost their sixth wicket in the form of Shukla.
He was dismissed by Ngarava after a brilliant catch by wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor off a back-of-the-length delivery that cramped the batter for space.
This was soon followed by the dismissal of Jiten Ramanandi, with Ngarava taking his third wicket of the game, leaving Oman at 71 for seven in the 15th over.
Evans then broke the resistance of Mehmood, who holed out at deep square leg after a half-hearted pull shot.