0:
It was all smiles for the Zimbabwe cricket team when they beat Papua New Guinea in the Qualifier B semifinal to book a spot for themselves in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The Craig Ervine-led team beat PNG by 27 runs to book a spot in the final of Qualifier B against the Netherlands. Having missed a chance to play in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe have taken a big leap as they are one of the sixteen teams to qualify for the biennial event.
With the big happy moment coming their way, the players celebrated it in a grand style. The Zimbabwe cricket team players were seen cheering and tapping their bats on the ground in the dressing room after their team made the cut into the final of Qualifier B in a video shared by the cricket board.
“The lads celebrating after clinching a place at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” wrote Zimbabwe cricket in the caption of the post containing the video.
Watch it here:
I’m almost lost for words: Craig Ervine
With his team defeating PNG in a high-intensity encounter, Zimbabwe’s captain Craig Ervine looked lost for words and lauded the effort of his players. Ervine called the qualification for the T20 World Cup a huge step for the country. “I’m almost lost for words. It was a massive fight from the boys, it wasn’t an easy semi-final even though we had set 200. I’ve got to give credit to everybody for being up for the fight,” said Ervine.
“I’m ecstatic for the country, I think this is huge for Zimbabwe cricket and the next step is going to be on Sunday, winning the Qualifier. Then we look forward to the World Cup in October,” he added.
Notably, Zimbabwe play the Netherlands in the final of Qualifier B on Sunday. If they manage to defeat the Netherlands, Zimbabwe will go into Group B with Ireland, Scotland and the West Indies. The runner-up of the tournament will fill the final spot in Group A alongside Namibia, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.