‘Criminal’: Cricket insanity as world records obliterated

The cricketing world has been rocked by the biggest massacre the sport has ever seen with uncomfortable scenes unfolding.

Cricket records have been blown to pieces as Zimbabwe bashed a ridiculous total of 4-344 in their T20 World Cup qualification match against Gambia on Wednesday night.

The insane total is a new record in International T20 cricket and the batting barrage also smashed several other records.

Sikandar Raza stole the show at the Ruaraka Sports Club Ground in Nairobi with an innings of 133 not out from 43 deliveries.

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The T20 World Cup Africa Sub Regional Qualifying match turned into a bloodbath, with Zimbabwe’s innings even more brutal than the previous record score of 3-314 set by Nepal against Mongolia in Hangzhou last year.

It was a total mismatch between the Test-playing nation and country that only began playing cricket in 2017 and is ranked 95 in the world.

Sikandar Raza was a cheat code against Gambia. Photo: Fox Cricket.

Raza, who came in at the fall of the second wicket in the seventh over, hit a total of seven fours and 15 sixes in his innings.

He reached his century off 33 balls which equals Namibia’s Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton as the second-fastest in T20I cricket.

It remains six balls slower than Sahil Chauhan’s 27-ball hundred for Estonia against Cyprus in June.

Raza’s total of 15 sixes was the equal-fourth most maximums struck in an IT20.

Australian opener Aaron Finch holds the record for highest individual score in T20Is with 172 against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018.

Zimbabwe claimed a second record when they bowled out Gambia for just 54 in 14.4 overs to complete a 290-run victory, the biggest ever in a T20 international.

Brutal. Photo: Fox Sports Cricket.

Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza put on a show. Photo by Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP.

Zimbabwe cricket commentator Adam Theofilatos wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “For what Zimbabwe has done today, they are likely to be reported to the ICC, not the International Cricket Council, the International Criminal Court”.

The bowler that suffered the most pain was Musa Jorbateh, who went for 93 runs from four overs. His effort in the 17th over of the innings went for 35 runs.

Five bowlers all conceded more than 50 runs.

The records broken, include:

— Most sixes in a T20 innings (27)

— Biggest winning margin in an IT20 (290 runs).

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

Zimbabwe’s victory guarantees they will advance into the final round of Africa qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Gambia is still looking for its first win in the Africa sub-regional qualifying series, having given walkovers to their opponents Rwanda and Seychelles in the first two games, while Zimbabwe have already picked up four from four.

— with AFP