NEW DELHI: All-rounder Sikandar Raza made a remarkable three wicket hauls against Pakistan on Thursday in Perth. As a result, Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by one run in a nail-biting final-ball drama to earn their first victory in the Super 12 of the skyexch Twenty20 World Cup.
After holding Zimbabwe to a respectable score of 130-8 at Perth Stadium and scoring just 129-8 in response. Pakistan’s tournament is in shambles after they were stunned by an extraordinary last-ball defeat at the hands of their archrivals India in their opening match on Sunday. Pakistan’s tournament is now in ruins.
After The Game, The Following Is What The Players Had To Say:
Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe skipper): So special. In particular for the effort that we put in to make it into the Super 12s. We did not want it to be the last round of our tournament. We came into this tournament with the intention of playing some very terrific cricket against great teams. And we did an excellent job of achieving that goal today. I believed after our batting performance. We thought we were maybe 20 or 25 runs short, but I think our seamers hit their straps early on.
Coming into their own early on, our seamers were very effective. Raza, like he so often does, came through for his team when they needed him most. And took a couple key wickets in the middle of the field. I believe Raza has won three Man of the Match awards. Which means that by the time we go back home, I won’t have any money left. In addition, I would want to express my gratitude to the Zimbabwean fans who made it out today to show their support for us. You all truly boost our spirits no matter where we are, therefore we are quite grateful for that.
The captain of the Pakistani team, Babar Azam, said that his team would have taken 130 at the midway mark. Very dismal performance, especially in the batting department where we fall short of expectations. We have some strong hitters, but none of our openers was successful in the power play. Unfortunately, Shadab was dismissed as he and Shan were working together to form a partnership. And this was followed by two wickets falling in quick succession, which put us in a precarious position. We struggled to make effective use of the new ball for the first six overs of the game. But we were able to finish strong. We are going to sit this one out, talk about how we can improve. And work very hard in practice so that we can make a big comeback in the next game.
Here Is What Player of the Match Sikandar Raza Said
Player of the Match Sikandar Raza said, “I am at a loss for words. And my mouth is dry presumably because of the emotions I am going through at the time.” To put into words how proud I am of these lads would be impossible. The manner in which our seamers began their innings at the top was really fantastic. And the manner in which we backed it up in the field. And the manner in which we continued to believe is really beyond description.
When we were getting ready to go for Australia. I told my captain, Ervine, that if you win “Man of the Match,”. You may choose whatever watch you want from the catalogue, and I’ll buy it for you. But you’re going to get me a new one if I end up winning the award for Man of the Match. I was trying to get him to remember that he owes me three watches at this point. Was pumped up today, and I got the inspiration for this performance from seeing this video of Ricky Ponting earlier in the morning. Then proceeded to give this performance. For that, I’d want to extend my gratitude to Ricky Ponting.
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