Hobart, Oct 17: All-rounder Sikandar Raza continued his glorious run in 2022 with a fantastic 82 off 48 balls while the bowlers, led by Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara and Richard Ngarava led Zimbabwe to a clinical 31-run over Ireland in a Group B first round match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Bellerive Oval on Monday.ZIM vs IRE: Sikandar Raza, Bowlers, Power Zimbabwe to 31-Run Win Over Ireland in T20 World Cup 2022 Group B Encounter

Zimbabwe, playing in their first T20 World Cup match after 2016, made a winning comeback in their return to the tournament fold. After Raza's 82 propelled Zimbabwe to a competitive 174/7, Muzarabani (3/24), Chatara (2/22) and Ngarava (2/22) hit their lengths beautifully in their respective four overs to restrict Ireland to 143/9 in 20 overs.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 174/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 82; Joshua Little 3/24, Simi Singh 2/31) beat Ireland 143/9 in 20 overs (Curtis Campher 27, George Dockrell 24; Blessing Muzarabani 3/23, Tendai Chatara 2/22) by 31 runs

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2022 06:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).