In cricket, some players are remembered for their game, while some are remembered for the sad story of their life. Former Zimbabwean fast bowler Henry Olanga was in the news for both the reasons. At one time, he was such a bowler whose bouncer had troubled even Sachin Tendulkar himself. Today the same player is earning his living by singing in small bars, cruise ships and schools in Australia.

Journey from cricket to music

Henry Olanga was always fond of music. Even during his cricket career, he used to write and sing songs. In the year 2001, he released a song ‘Our Zimbabwe’. This song came at a time when political violence was at its peak in Zimbabwe and many serious allegations were being made against the government of Robert Mugabe. This song reflected both pain and hope for the country.

Black stripe and compulsion to leave the country

During the 2003 World Cup, Olanga and Andy Flower decided to enter the field wearing black armbands. This protest was about the condition of democracy in the country. However, he had to pay a heavy price for this step. Olanga began receiving death threats, was thrown off the team bus and ultimately had to leave Zimbabwe. After this he started living in Australia.

New life, new struggles in Australia

After being away from cricket, Olanga did many small jobs. For the last ten years he has been making his living through singing. He sings on cruise ships, in small villages, in schools and bars, even if there are only a few people there. Olanga himself admits that this is not the pinnacle of any singer’s career, but this is his reality.

When even Sachin was surprised

Indian fans still remember Olanga’s name because he had dismissed Sachin Tendulkar on a bouncer in the 1998 Champions Trophy. This wicket was so special that Ajay Jadeja later told in the commentary that Sachin was very upset by that out and could not even sleep properly till the next match came.

Sri Lanka won the fifth match of the triangular T20 Series 2025 played against Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by 9 wickets. This was Sri Lanka’s first win in the series. Earlier, it had to face defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Zimbabwe scored 146 runs after losing 5 wickets in the stipulated overs. Zimbabwe had a very bad start. This team had lost its 2 wickets for just 17 runs. From here Brian Bennett along with Brendan Taylor scored 36 runs for the third wicket. Taylor returned to the pavilion after scoring 14 runs in 16 balls.

From here Brian Bennett made a partnership of 36 runs in 29 balls for the fourth wicket with captain Sikandar Raza. This partnership took the team to the score of 89. Opener Bennett was out after scoring 34 runs in 26 balls with 1 six and 4 fours, while captain Raza played an inning of 37 runs in 29 balls. Apart from him, Ryan Burl also added the same number of runs to the team’s account.

From the opposition team, Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahesh Dikshana took 2-2 wickets. Apart from these, captain Shanaka took 1 wicket.

In response, Sri Lanka registered victory in just 16.2 overs. The opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Misara gave a great start to this team. Both players added 59 runs to the team’s account in 5.4 overs. Kamil returned to the pavilion after scoring 12 runs.

From here, Nissanka along with Kusal Mendis added 89 runs in 64 balls for the second wicket and gave the team an easy victory. Nissanka scored unbeaten 98 runs in 58 balls with 4 sixes and 11 fours, while Mendis contributed 25 runs to the team’s account. Brad Evans took the only wicket for Zimbabwe.

The triangular T20 series organized by PCB started on Tuesday. The first match of the tournament was played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistan won by 5 wickets and started the tournament on a bright note.

Pakistan had a target of 148 runs to win. At one time Pakistan was in trouble after losing 4 wickets for 54 runs. 92 runs had to be scored in the last 10 overs to win. It seemed that Zimbabwe could register victory. But Fakhar Zaman and Usman Khan made a partnership of 61 runs for the fifth wicket and turned the match in favor of Pakistan. Fakhar was out after scoring 44 runs in 32 balls with the help of 2 sixes and 2 fours.

Usman Khan remained unbeaten on 37 runs on 28 balls and Mohammad Nawaz remained unbeaten on 21 runs on 12 balls. There was a partnership of 33 runs between the two. Pakistan scored 151 runs for 5 wickets in 19.2 overs and won the match by 5 wickets. Babar Azam could not open the account.

Brad Evans took 2 wickets, Richard Ngwara, T Maposa, and Graeme Creamer took 1 wicket each.

Earlier, Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bowl. Openers Brian Bennett and T Marumani gave a strong start to the team. Both of them made a partnership of 72 runs in 8 overs for the first wicket. Marumani was out as the first wicket after scoring 30 runs in 22 balls. After the breaking of the opening partnership, Zimbabwe’s batting completely disintegrated. Bennett was also out after scoring 49 runs in 36 balls.

Captain Sikandar Raza scored unbeaten 34 runs with the help of 3 fours and 1 six in 24 balls, taking the team’s score to 147 for 8 wickets. For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz took 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. Shaheen Afridi was the most expensive and took 1 wicket for 34 runs in 4 overs. Salman Mirza, Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed got 1 wicket each.

Terrorist Attack in Islamabad: After the recent terrorist attack in Pakistan, the security of the Sri Lankan cricket team visiting this country has been increased. Sources said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met the Sri Lankan team officials and assured them of complete security. Naqvi is also the Home Minister of Pakistan. Pakistan has once again indirectly accused the Taliban government of Afghanistan of allowing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to use its land to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

terrorist attack in pakistan

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a judicial complex in Islamabad, killing 12 people and injuring many. Meanwhile, the terrorist attack on Wana Cadet College in Wana area of ​​northern Pakistan was foiled by security forces and about 300 students were evacuated safely. Pakistan’s Information Minister Ata Tarar said that if the security forces had not taken immediate action, Pakistan could have witnessed a major incident like the Peshawar school attack in 2018.

Fear of terrorist attack on Sri Lankan

Three years ago, the New Zealand team had canceled the limited overs series against Pakistan. The New Zealand team then returned to their country without playing any match after receiving information about a possible terrorist attack. “That is why Mohsin Naqvi personally visited the stadium and met the visiting team members and assured them about security,” the source said. In March 2009, TTP terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus near Gaddafi Stadium, due to which international cricket matches were not held in Pakistan for almost 10 years as foreign teams refused to tour the country due to security concerns.

Security of Sri Lankan team increased

“The security of the Sri Lankan team has been beefed up and Pakistani Army and paramilitary Rangers have been deployed to keep an eye on the security of the visiting players and officials,” the source said. After playing three ODIs in Rawalpindi, Sri Lanka will participate in the T20 tri-series from November 17 to 29 in which the third team will be Zimbabwe.

Biggest Win In Terms Of Runs In ODIs: ODI cricket started 54 years ago on 5 January 1971. From then till today many records have been made and broken in this format. The biggest win in terms of runs in ODI cricket is 342 runs. In this format, so far only 5 teams have been able to win by more than 300 runs. India has won by more than 300 runs twice in ODI cricket. Zimbabwe has also accomplished such a feat once, about which you must know. Here we will tell you about the 5 biggest wins in terms of runs in the history of ODI cricket.

5 biggest wins in the history of ODI cricket

1. England – won by 342 runs

England has the biggest win in the history of ODI cricket. England had made a world record by winning against South Africa by 342 runs in Southampton on 7 September 2025.

2. India – won by 317 runs

India has the second biggest win in the history of ODI cricket. Team India won against Sri Lanka by 317 runs in Thiruvananthapuram on 15 January 2023.

3. Australia – won by 309 runs

Australia has the third biggest win in the history of ODI cricket. Australia won against Netherlands by 309 runs in Delhi on 25 October 2023.

4. Zimbabwe – won by 304 runs

Zimbabwe has the fourth biggest win in the history of ODI cricket. Zimbabwe won against United States of America by 304 runs in Harare on 26 June 2023.

5. India – won by 302 runs

India also has the fifth biggest win in the history of ODI cricket. India won against Sri Lanka at Wankhede by 302 runs on 2 November 2023.

Let us tell you that the history of ODI cricket is 54 years old. In this ODI format, so far only 5 countries have won a match by more than 300 runs and Team India is the only team to achieve such a feat twice. While big teams like South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan have failed to achieve such a feat, small teams like Zimbabwe have achieved such a feat.

Namibia and Zimbabwe qualified for the ICC Men T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year. Both teams have reached the semi -finals of the Africa regional final in Harare.

Namibia defeated Tanzania in the first semi -final while Zimbabwe defeated Kenya. Both teams qualified with Africa in the T20 World Cup to be held in February March 2026.

The ICC said on its website that now Asia for this tournament to be held next year. Three quota places are to be determined from the EAP qualifier. Namibia has played the last four men T20 World Cup and reached Super 12 in 2021. Zimbabwe was missed on making a place in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

What are 17 teams
The names of a total of 17 teams have been fixed for the T20 World Cup 2026 so far. Apart from champions India and Sri Lanka, the names of the team of Australia, Afghanistan, England, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, America, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Namibia are named.

At the same time, the remaining three teams will be decided by the East Asia Pacific qualifying round, in which the teams of Oman, UAE, Qatar, Nepal, Samoa, Kuwait, Malaysia, Japan and Papua New Guinea will participate. These teams are divided into a separate group of three-three, in which from October 8, Oman will be played at Al Amrat Cricket Ground.

The ICC started the T20 format about 21 years ago to add a thrill in cricket. Since then, T20 International cricket fans are getting very high. The T20 match ending in about 4 hours makes big records in international cricket many times. Some similar Friday was seen in the second T20 match of England and South Africa. England scored 304 for 2 wickets in 20 overs in this match. However, still his name did not record the record of scoring the most runs in an innings of T20 International.

For your information, let us know that so far in T20 International, a score of more than 300 has been made 3 times. England has become the third team to do so. Team India scored a score of 297 runs against Bangladesh last year, which is India’s biggest score. At the same time, Australia’s highest score in T20 International is 263 runs.

See here the highest score in an innings of T20 International match

1- Zimbabwe (344 runs)

On 23 October 2024, Zimbabwe set almost never a never -breaking record against Gambia. Zimbabwe, playing first in this match, scored 344 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs. For Zimbabwe, Alexander Raza scored 133 runs in just 43 balls. In response, Gambia’s team was piled up for just 54 runs. Zimbabwe won the match by 290 runs.

2- Nepal (314 runs)

Nepal is second in this record list. On September 27, 2023, Nepal scored 314 runs for 3 wickets in 20 overs against Mongolia. For Nepal, Kushal Malla scored an unbeaten 137 runs in 50 balls. In response, Mongolia’s team could score 41 runs. Nepal won the match by 273 runs.

3- England (304)

England scored 304 runs against South Africa on Friday. For England, Phil Silet scored 141 runs off 60 balls. In response, the South African team could score 158 runs. England won the match by 146 runs.

Zimbabwe’s veteran batsman Brendon Taylor has achieved a big place in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Playing an innings of just 20 runs, Brendon Taylor became the third batsman to score more than 10,000 runs in international cricket for Zimbabwe.

Brendon Taylor has played a total of 287 matches in all three formats since 2004, in 320 innings, this right -handed batsman has scored 10,009 runs with an average of 33.92. During this, Brendon Taylor scored 17 centuries and 57 half -centuries.

In this list, Andrew Flower is at the top, who scored 11,580 runs in 276 matches between 1992 and 2003 with an average of 40.63, while Grant Flowers are present on the second four by adding 10,028 runs with an average of 32.03 in 337 innings of 288 matches between 1992 and 2010.

After losing the toss at Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe, who came out to bat, scored 277 runs losing seven wickets in the prescribed 50 overs.

The team got a great start by the opening pair. Brian Bennett scored 55 runs in 9.4 overs with Ben Karen. Brian was dismissed for 21 runs in 29 balls with the help of two fours.

From here, Ben Karen added 61 runs for the second wicket with Brendon Taylor. Taylor contributed 20 runs in 37 balls, while Karen was dismissed for 79 runs in 95 balls with the help of nine fours.

The team had lost five wickets by a score of 176. From here, Alexander Raza shared a 76 -run partnership for the sixth wicket with Clive Madande and brought Zimbabwe in a strong position.

Alexander Raza remained unbeaten by scoring 59 runs in 55 balls, while Clive contributed 36 runs to the team’s account. For Sri Lanka, Dushmantha Chamera took the most three hunting, while Asitha Fernando took two wickets. Dilshan Madushaka and Janith Liange took one wicket each.

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Brendan Taylor Odi Return for Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe player Brendon Taylor has also returned to ODI after Test cricket. This player has appeared in ODI cricket after 1446 days. Taylor played his last match in ODIs against Ireland on September 13, 2021. At the same time, on Friday, August 29, this player has returned to ODI International. But this return was nothing special for Brendan Taylor. Taylor was dismissed on the third ball of this career, which started again after about four years and returned to the pavilion without opening an account.

Record in getting out on zero

In the ODI match being played between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, Brendan Taylor definitely returned to ODI, but he was dismissed for the 16th time in his ODI international career. With this, Taylor became the player to be dismissed for the third most zero in Zimbabwe in ODIs. Brendon Taylor has returned to the pavilion without opening an account 24 times in International cricket. In this, he has been dismissed for three times Tests and five times in T20.

ICC banned Brendon Taylor

Former Zimbabwe captain Brendon Taylor was banned by the ICC for four years, as this player took money from a businessman from India in 2019. Along with this, these players were also caught using cocaine during testing. After the completion of four years of the ICC ban, Brendon Taylor returned to the second Test match against New Zealand. Now this player has stepped out of the series against Sri Lanka in ODIs.

More than 6000 runs in ODI

This Zimbabwe player has 6,684 runs in 205 matches at an average of 35.55 in ODIs. At the same time, these players have scored 2,371 runs in 35 matches in Tests at an average of 35.92. In T20 International, Brendon Taylor has played 45 matches, scoring 934 runs at an average of 23.94.

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The second Test match between New Zealand and Zimbabwe is going to start from Thursday. New Zealand’s team has won the first match of the series by nine wickets. In such a situation, the hosts will have to do this match to get the series draw.

New Zealand has suffered a setback before this decisive match. Fast bowler Will O’Rurke is out of the second Test due to his back injury. He will return to New Zealand for treatment. All -rounder Nathan Smith is also not playing in this match.

New Zealand’s regular captain Tom Latham could not play the first Test due to a shoulder injury. In his place, Mitchell Santner was given the command of the team. Now it has to be seen whether Latham is able to fit for the second test, or not.

Calling pitch is usually slow. The balls stay down here, but in the first Test, the fast bowlers got great success here, especially those who can make the ball a slight move, or create extra bounce. The weather is expected to be clear here during the match.

In the initial match of the series, Zimbabwe was reduced to just 149 runs during his first innings. In response, New Zealand took a lead of 158 runs by scoring 307 runs.

Zimbabwe’s team was all out for 165 runs in the second innings. With this, New Zealand got a target of only eight runs to win, which was achieved by the visiting team in 2.2 overs.

New Zealand team: Will Young, Dewon Conway, Henry Nichols, Rachin Rabindra, Derryl Michel, Tom Bluendel (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (Captain), Jackie Fallks, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Tom Ltham, Jacob Dafi, Ejaz Patel and Mathew Firor.

Zimbabwe’s team: Brian Bennett, Ben Karen, Nick Welch, Scene Williams, Craig Erwin (Captain), Sikander Raza, Tafadjwa Siga (wicketkeeper), Pneumine Nyamuri, Vincent Maskesa, Blessing Mujarbani, Tanaka Chivanga, Brendon Taylor, Wellington Masakadja, Roy Kaiya, Tanunura Makoni, Kaliiva Madande and Travera Gwandu

IANS

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