His side was hammered into submission by a rampaging West Indies side riding on a majestic 34-ball 85 by Shimron Hetmyer and a 35-ball 59 by Rovman Powell, Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza refused to blame the change in venue and change in conditions for his team’s massive 107-run defeat in their first Super 8 stage match in Mumbai on Monday.Movie Schedule Listings
“I think if we think about change in venues, change in country, we will not learn anything, and for me it is very important to learn from this game. We don’t want to look for excuses. If we want to go through, we have to win in every country, every venue,” said Raza after the match.
Hetmyer’s blitzkrieg, in which he hammered seven fours and seven sixes, blasting a 19-ball fifty and his 122-run partnership with Powell for the third wicket, helped West Indies post 254/6 in 20 overs, the highest team total in this World Cup and the second-highest ever in the tournament’s history.
Zimbabwe’s chase of the steep target did not catch fire as they lost three wickets in the power-play and were eventually bowled out for 147 in 17.4 overs, thanks mainly to a 21-ball 43 by Brad Evans (2×4, 5×6), and his 44-run partnership with Richard Ngarava for the last wicket. Gudakesh Motie claimed a career-best 4-28 while Akeal Hosein bagged 3-28 to hasten Zimbabwe’s slide to defeat.
Though they faced a massive chase, Raza said they thought they had their chances, but the wicket spun a lot more than in the first innings and put paid to their hopes.
“We thought when we batted, it would stay true, but it started to turn. But it was a good learning game. There was a time that myself and Tony were saying that even if the RR gets to 18, we can get it. Motie’s spell changed the game. But at this ground, you are never out of the game,” said Raza in the post-match presentation.
While the defeat was a massive setback for Zimbabwe, the tournament’s giant-killers, who made it to the Super 8 stage with upset wins over Australia and Sri Lanka, the bigger concern for him and his team was the finger injury he suffered while taking evasive action against a blistering shot by Powell of his bowling.
Raza will be going for a scan on the injured finger on Tuesday and hopes things will be fine for them. “The plan of action is to go for a scan tomorrow, and hopefully it will all be fine,” he said.
Zimbabwe will next play hosts and defending champions India in the next match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 26, and Raza is already looking forward to that game. India too have lost their first match in Super 8s and the Chennai clash will be a must-win for both teams. “Certainly, even though there are bruises, we will look to win and earn respect. Both teams have lost, and we will try to be better,” said Raza, an off-spinner who has turned into a mystery spinner in the second half of his career.
