'The boys wanted it': Sikandar Raza after Zimbabwe's historic victory vs Australia

NEW DELHI: Zimbabwe stand-in captain Sikandar Raza termed their 23-run victory over Australia national cricket team as “unbelievable”, crediting the squad’s culture, unity and environment for the famous result. Zimbabwe stunned Australia in their Group B fixture of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday, defending 169/2 successfully as the former champions were bowled out for 146 in 19.3 overs.


"Very happy and above all, very proud. Feeling of a brother whose younger brothers are achieving a lot together," Raza said during the post-match presentation.



Raza contributed an unbeaten 25 off 13 balls and took the new ball, but a painful leg cramp while bowling the ninth over forced him to leave the field. Watching from the dressing room, he saw his young teammates complete a historic triumph.

"So it was nice to watch from outside and see how the team went about their business, the culture, the environment, the unity that we have taken, that we have created over a long time. Just to see it from outside, I was extremely proud, and on top of that, a win. It's just unbelievable.

"But the way we came and the way we bowled, the way we started, the way we fielded every catch, some of the boundary stops, it's just unbelievable. I mean, there's nothing to fault the boys for. It looked like the boys wanted it, and I think they really did and they deserved to win today."

Fast bowlers Blessing Muzarabani (4/17) and Brad Evans (3/23) dismantled Australia’s top order inside four overs, removing Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Tim David and Travis Head to lay the foundation for victory.

Raza admitted he was dealing with cramps while leading a depleted squad.

"In Sri Lanka, this is not the first time that's happened, but sometimes, just the pressure of the game and leading a side, the workload and everything, these things can happen.

"But all I can tell you is, these are just cramps. I know over the next day or two with good recovery, it should be fine."

The win was even more significant as regular captain Brendan Taylor is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

"We have just 13 able bodies right now and I went down and even (Graeme) Cremer has a bit of a niggle. But I am sure Zimbabwe Cricket is looking into the replacements because in these conditions, you need 15 able bodies.

"The boys deserve to enjoy today. If we keep the same processes, and take it one game at a time (it'll be good). We are in a great position, but it doesn't mean anything. So the next game is now the most important one," Raza added.

The result has thrown Group B wide open, with Zimbabwe just behind Sri Lanka national cricket team on net run rate, while Australia dropped to third and now face must-win matches against Sri Lanka on February 16 and Oman national cricket team on February 20.



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