Zimbabwe register second biggest win ever in ODIs

Zimbabwe's Sean Williams celebrates after reaching his hundred in the ICC World Cup Qualifier match against the US in Harare, Zimbabwe on 26 June 2023Zimbabwe Cricket Twitter

Sean Williams hit 174 off 101 balls as Zimbabwe crushed the United States by 304 runs on Monday at the ICC World Cup qualifiers, the second biggest winning margin in terms of runs in One-Day International (ODI) history.

Hosts Zimbabwe made their highest ODI total with a mammoth 408-6 off 50 overs and then bowled out the US for just 104 to seal a fourth straight win in Group A.

They narrowly missed breaking the record for the biggest margin of victory in an ODI, set at the start of the year when India thrashed Sri Lanka by 317 runs in Thiruvananthapuram.

Zimbabwe players celebrate a wicket
Zimbabwe Cricket Twitter

Wicketkeeper Joylord Gumbie struck a steady 78 at the top of the order but Williams played the starring role as Zimbabwe stepped on the accelerator once the stand-in captain arrived at the crease.

Williams hit 21 fours and five sixes before he was caught in the deep in the penultimate over, with Sikandar Raza scoring 48 off 27 balls and Ryan Burl hammering 47 off just 16 deliveries.

Sean Williams plays a shot on his way to a commanding century
ICC Twitter

Only three US batters reached double figures as Richard Ngarava and Raza both took two wickets while three run outs compounded a dismal performance from the Americans.