WINDHOEK: Lhuan-dre-Pretorius top-scored with 94 as South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 43 runs on Tuesday at Namibia Cricket Ground to boost their chances of reaching the T20I tri-series final.
Chasing 186, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 142 in 17.2 overs. Sikandar Raza topped the score with 45 off 33, striking five fours and two sixes.
The Chevrons were put in early trouble as they lost half of their side at the end of the powerplay. Raza played a lone battle and kept his side in the hunt until his dismissal in the 14th over.
For South Africa, Bjorn Fortuin starred with the ball and picked up four wickets. Duan Jansen also stood tall with three wickets to his name.
Earlier, South Africa won the toss and posted 185-7 at one of the venues for the 2027 ODI Cricket World Cup.
Left-hand opener Pretorius fell just short of a maiden T20I century and top-scored with a 94 off 51 balls, hitting three sixes and 12 fours. However, an attempted flick exposed his wicket and quick bowler Brad Evans uprooted the leg stump.
After today’s fixture, South Africa are in a good position to qualify for the final with two wins out of their three games. On the contrary, Zimbabwe and Namibia have secured one victory from their three and two games, respectively.
The next fixture will be between Namibia and South Africa on 3 September in Windhoek.
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