Sean Williams hit 174 off 101 balls as Zimbabwe crushed the United States by 304 runs Monday at the Cricket World Cup qualifiers, the second biggest winning margin in terms of runs in ODI history. Hosts Zimbabwe made their highest one-day total with a mammoth 408-6 off 50 overs and then bowled out the USA for just 104 to seal a fourth straight win in Group A.
They narrowly missed breaking the record for the biggest margin of victory in a one-day international, set at the start of the year when India thrashed Sri Lanka by 317 runs in Thiruvananthapuram.
Wicketkeeper Joylord Gumbie struck a steady 78 at the top of the order but Williams played the starring role as Zimbabwe stepped on the accelerator once the stand-in captain arrived at the crease.
Williams hit 21 fours and five sixes before he was caught in the deep in the penultimate over, with Sikandar Raza scoring 48 off 27 balls and Ryan Burl hammering 47 off just 16 deliveries.
Only three USA batters reached double figures as Richard Ngarava and Raza both took two wickets while three runouts compounded a dismal performance from the Americans.
Brandon McMullen began this tournament with a first five-wicket haul, and he now has a maiden ODI hundred after firing Scotland to a 76-run win over Oman.
Christopher McBride was pinned leg before for a duck off the third ball to bring McMullen to the crease, where he joined Matthew Cross (27) to add 82 runs for the second wicket.
When the keeper was bowled by Jay Odedra (2/68), skipper Richie Berrington came in, fresh from his century against the UAE.
He raced to a 62-ball 60 before a mix-up after a misfield saw the skipper run out, bringing a 138-run stand to a close.
McMullen followed for 136, the second of Bilal Khan’s five victims as Oman fought back, although Tomas Mackintosh (32) and Mark Watt (25) chipped in with some handy late runs.
Bilal kept chipping away though, finishing with figures of five for 55, before two wickets in the final over, including Adrian Neill’s run-out off the last ball, saw Scotland finish on 320 all out.
Oman never threatened to chase it down, with the opening pair putting on just 25 for the first wicket in ten overs.
McMullen ended that partnership when he had Kashyap Prajapati bowled for 12, with Neill then adding Jatinder Singh for 14.
Bowled was the preferred method of dismissal, with skipper Zeeshan Maqsood (8) and Aqib Ilyas (31) also succumbing to Michael Leask and Watt respectively, leaving Oman on 72 for four.
Chris Greaves (5/53) then joined the party, dismissing Mohammad Nadeem (15) and Ayaan Khan (30) to make it 120 for six.
A 105-run stand between Shoaib Khan (36) and Naseem Khushi (69) reduced the margin of victory, but Greaves dismissed both before bowling Fayyaz Butt as Oman finished on 244 for nine from their 50 overs.
Scotland has now won three from three ahead of a meeting with Sri Lanka to decide top spot in Group B, while Oman is through to the Super Six courtesy of earlier wins over Ireland and the UAE.
SCOTLAND: Christopher McBride, Matthew Cross(w), Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington(c), Tomas Mackintosh, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Adrian Neill
OMAN: Kashyap Prajapati, Jatinder Singh, Aqib Ilyas, Zeeshan Maqsood(c), Mohammad Nadeem, Shoaib Khan, Ayaan Khan, Naseem Khushi(w), Jay Odedra, Fayyaz Butt, Bilal Khan
Source – SuperSport
