Mumbai, February 23 (). Zimbabwe had to face a crushing defeat by 107 runs in the Super-8 match of the T20 World Cup against West Indies. Zimbabwe team played its first four matches in Sri Lanka, but had to come to India to play the Super-8 match. Captain Sikandar Raza has said about the challenges of changing the venue that it does not bother him. It is important for him that the team learns something from this defeat.
Captain Sikandar Raza said about the challenges of changing the venue, “I don’t want to think like that. If we keep thinking about changing the venue or the country, we will not be able to learn anything from this match. It is important for me and for Zimbabwe that we take some lessons from this. Excuses do not help. If we have to go ahead, we have to play good cricket everywhere, be it here or in Sri Lanka. So changing the venue does not bother me. What matters is what we learned from this match.”
Regarding the Wankhede Stadium pitch, the captain said, “We expected the pitch to be flat and fair, but later it started turning and we lost control there. It was a great match in terms of experience. The boys will learn to bowl on slow pitches and make plans against batsmen who can hit the ball hard and far. If we have to play against a team like West Indies on a small ground, today’s lessons will definitely be useful.”
Regarding the chase of 255 runs, Sikandar Raza said, “At one time I and Tony Munyonga were of the opinion that even if 18 runs per over are left in the last seven overs, then there is a chance on this ground. The ball really flies when connected. The plan was to maintain the pace of 12-13 runs per over, which was happening without any effort for some time. Unfortunately, Gudakesh Moti’s spell changed the entire course of the match. But on this ground, if two sets of batsmen If there is a match, you are never completely out, a lot of runs can be scored in the last five to eight overs.”
He said, “Despite this defeat, whenever Zimbabwe comes on the field, our aim is to win. We want to perform well and earn respect. If we face India, the same mindset will be there. Both the teams have lost the matches, there is a lot to prove. We will take the lessons of today, use what we know about Chennai and try to perform better, then we will see what happens.”
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