WATCH- Sikandar Raza slams 43-ball 133*, breaks Rohit Sharma’s record; Zimbabwe scores 344/4 against Gambia

Zimbabwe won the match by 290 runs by bowling out Gambia for 54 runs.

Sikandar Raza and Zimbabwe shattered a host of T20I records in their recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier Group B match against Gambia. This match was played on October 23, 2024, at the Ruaraka Sports Club Ground, Nairobi, Kenya.

Sikandar Raza won the toss and chose to bat first and all batters recorded eye-watering strike rates. Brian Bennett made 50 in 26 balls, while fellow opener Tadiwanashe Marumani slammed 62 in 19 balls. They added 98 runs in 5.4 overs as Dion Myers scored 12 in 5 balls he faced and Ryan Burl made 25 in 11 balls.

But the real butchering of bowlers began when Sikandar Raza arrived on the crease. He, along with Clive Madande hammered the Gambian bowlers to all parts of the Nairobi ground.

Raza reached his maiden T20I ton in 33 balls, earning the fastest T20I ton ever record, which was previously held by David Miller and Rohit Sharma (35 balls each). Raza slammed 133* in just 43 balls with 7 fours and an eye-watering 15 sixes.

Raza added 141 runs for the 5^th wicket with Clive Madande, who made 53* in just 17 balls to his name. Zimbabwe finished with 344/4 in 20 overs, easily overtaking the record for highest T20I team total. The previous record was held by Nepal, who made 314/3 against Mongolia last year.

Zimbabwe with their 344/4, now also has the highest T20I team total by a Test-playing nation, overtaking India’s 297/6, which the Men in Blue made recently against Bangladesh.

Here is the video of Sikandar Raza’s century:

 

 

 

 

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For Gambia, Musa Jobarteh gave 93 runs in his 4 overs, earning the record for the most expensive bowling figures in T20I and T20 history.

Gambia could only manage 54 runs with Andre Jaju being the only batter to reach double figures (12). Zimbabwe won the match by 290 runs, creating another world record for the highest margin on win in T20Is by runs.  

Here is the list of records made by Zimbabwe and Sikandar Raza:

- Highest total in men's T20s (344-4)

- Most sixes by a team in a T20 innings (27)

- Most boundaries by a team in a T20 innings (57)

- Most 50-plus scores in a T20 innings (4)

- Most runs conceded by a bowler in a T20 (93 by Musa Jorbateh)

- First Zimbabwe batter to score a T20I hundred (Sikandar Raza)

- Joint second-fastest hundred in T20Is (Sikandar Raza off 33 balls)

- Most bowlers conceding 50+ runs in a men's T20 innings (5)

- Sikandar Raza now has the most Player of the Match awards in men's T20Is (17)