Jersey’s hopes of making the 2022 T20 World Cup are over after they lost by 23 runs to Zimbabwe in their second qualifying match in Bulawayo.
The island’s bowlers and fielders impressed as they restricted the hosts – the only Test-playing nation in the competition – to 146-8, Sean Williams hitting 57 runs off 39 balls.
In reply, Jersey failed to keep up with the run-rate and lost cheap wickets.
Harrison Carylon scored 45 as Jersey ended on 123-5 from their 20 overs.
The island side cannot make the semi-finals of T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B after the United States – who beat Jersey in their opening game on Monday – beat Singapore by 132 runs, meaning both they and Zimbabwe will progress.
Jersey won the toss and elected to bowl – a decision which looked good as they claimed three early wickets.
Openers Craig Ervine and Regis Chakabva fell for four and six respectively while Wesley Madhevere scored just one run before being trapped lbw by Elliot Miles, with the score 37-3 off 5.4 overs.
But Zimbabwe’s dangerman Sean Williams – who had scored 53 against Singapore on Monday and got a century against Sri Lanka in January – seemed to take control until Dominic Blampied bowled him with his first delivery, with the hosts 89-4 with eight overs left.
Sikandar Raza, who hit 87 against Singapore and helped put on 52 for the fourth wicket with Williams, followed soon after as he was caught by Julius Sumerauer off the bowling of Ben Ward for 18, to leave Zimbabwe 95-5 with six-and-a-half overs to go.
The hosts lost two more quick wickets before Luke Jongwe crashed 26 runs off the final two overs, his unbeaten 29 off 13 balls dragging his side’s score up to a defendable 146-8.
Opener Carlyon was Jersey’s best batter, but his team-mates could not support him well enough.
Fellow opener Nick Greenwood was caught for 10 while Asa Tribe – who made 73 not out against the United States – got 21 off 23 balls as the pair had a second-wicket stand of 33.
Tribe was the first of three victims for bowler Ryan Burl, who also took the wickets of Jonty Jenner (3) and Ben Stevens (3) in quick succession as Jersey were reduced to 67-4.
Carlyon, dropped by Wellington Masakadza on 10, went on to make 45 off 56 balls as he and Ward (35 not out) had a fifth-wicket stand of 51 runs.
