ZIMBABWE captain Sikandar Raza delivered a stellar all-round performance but could not prevent his team from going down to neighbours South Africa in the Chevrons’ final Super Eight match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in New Delhi, India.
Raza topped both batting and bowling charts for Zimbabwe, scoring 73 runs and taking three wickets for 29 runs in nine overs. Yet, despite his heroics, the team fell short, losing by five wickets.
"My immediate reflection is that I shouldn't be here. I have never got a man of the match for losing a game," Raza said after the match.
"We took a bit of a beating in the last two games, but each beating came with valuable lessons. We take these valuable lessons, go home, and hopefully come back strong and better."
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Zimbabwe posted 153/7, with Raza smashing eight boundaries and four sixes. He received support from Clive Madande, unbeaten on 26 off 30, and Brian Bennett, who contributed 15 runs.
"I thought 180 would be par on that wicket because it was slightly on the skinny, low side. I thought maybe 170, 175 would be a very good total on that wicket. True to that, if we got to that, I thought it would be a very interesting game,” Raza said.
"Without the wickets or the runs, if the leader stands up, it gives a lot of confidence to the team."
Kwena Maphaka picked two wickets for 21 runs in four overs, Corbin Bosch also took two, but for 40 runs from four. Raza came back fired up to defend his team's total, claiming three, while Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans took a wicket each before South Africa raced to victory, reaching 154/5 with 13 balls to spare. Dewald Brevis 42 (18), Ryan Rickleton (31), George Linde 30 not out, David Miller (22), and Tristan Stubbs 21 not out got the job done with the bat for South Africa.
- Muzarabani eager for Chevrons to qualify for Australia 2022
- Zim headed for a political dead heat in 2023
- Raza opens up on career threatening cancer scare
- Record breaker Mpofu revisits difficult upbringing
Keep Reading
Despite the defeat, Raza’s all-round performance once again underscored his status as Zimbabwe’s premier T20I all-rounder, leaving the Chevrons with lessons to build on for future contests.
