BULAWAYO — Zimbabwe made a statement in the opening match of their T20I series with Namibia, posting a formidable total and defending it firmly to take a 33-run win in the first encounter in Bulawayo. 
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Zimbabwe’s openers gave Namibia little breathing space early on. Tadiwanashe Marumani showed good touch and power—scoring a composed fifty—and was well supported by Brian Bennett, who continued his fine form. The pair stitched together a commanding 124-run opening stand that laid the groundwork. 
After Marumani departed, Bennett carried on in fine form, hitting 94 off 51 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes. He was just six short of his maiden T20I hundred. 
Later came quick contributions from Ryan Burl (22 off 9) and a fiery cameo by Sikandar Raza (23 off 11), which pushed Zimbabwe to a competitive 211/3 by the end of their 20 overs. 
Chasing 212 on a batting-friendly wicket, Namibia got off to a decent start in the Powerplay thanks to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and Jan Frylinck, who put together a solid foundation.
But Zimbabwe struck back before Namibia could fully settle in. Sikandar Raza, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani picked up key wickets at crucial times. Notably, Muzarabani picked up two late wickets to shake off the tail. 
Although there were patches of resistance — especially mid-innings — Namibia were unable to match the required scoring rate as the pressure mounted. Their innings ended at 178/7, falling short by 33 runs.
The win gives Zimbabwe an early edge in the series. They showed not only batting depth but also composure under pressure when defending. Namibia will have to rethink their chase strategy — particularly how to rotate strike and slow the run-rate in the middle overs.
With the second T20I coming up in Bulawayo on September 16, Namibia need to strike early and try to put Zimbabwe on the back foot. Zimbabwe, buoyed by their performance, will aim to capitalise on home conditions. 
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