Mumbai, Feb 22 (PTI) Having not played a T20I for over a decade in India will not worry Zimbabwe as the African nation has the wherewithal to produce a “top performance” in the T20 World Cup Super Eights, reckoned skipper Sikandar Raza here on Sunday.
Zimbabwe punched above their weight beating Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage, but now they are clubbed with champions India and runners-up South Africa, and two-time winners West Indies, their opponents here at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
“Regardless of how the result goes, I don’t think it will be because we couldn’t adjust to the conditions. That is not how Zimbabweans are thinking or that is not how we are thinking,” Raza told reporters.
“We are having our warm-up now, we are going to have our nets session. We absorb; we watch a lot of cricket (and) some of us have played here as well and the majority of us haven’t,” said Raza, who featured in two IPL 2023 and 2024 for Punjab Kings.
“Instead of worrying about the smaller grounds or anything… it’s going to stay the same for both teams. What we are looking for is a top, top performance from Zimbabwe and that will help us to win the game,” he replied when asked about how tough it would be to adjust to Indian conditions, having played in Sri Lanka so far in the ICC showpiece.
Zimbabwe had last played in India during the first round of the T20 World Cup in 2016, along with spinner Wellington Masakadza.
Raza said his side will look to maximise their training sessions here ahead of the first Super Eights match.
“Playing in India certainly helps. But if a team or if an individual hasn’t had that experience, rather than counting or using that as an excuse, I personally think we can block that,” he said.
“It’s the same soil, the weather, the breeze, the outfield, the players. If you just try and take all those things away for one game, which is tomorrow, and try and see if you can put your best foot forward after training well on the training surfaces… it doesn’t guarantee you success, but at least you’re giving yourself the best chance to be successful.” On a question about Zimbabwe’s immediate goals in the tournament, Raza remained quite clear.
“How many of you have picked Zimbabwe to be a semifinalist?… Clearly one,” he said after a pause.
“Maybe we haven’t done enough yet, and these are things that motivate us. These are the challenges we look forward to. I don’t know if we’ll make it or not. But one thing I can assure you from a Zimbabwe captain’s and a team point of view, (that) we’ll give it our best shot.” “… Only one guy put his hand up that Zimbabwe will get to the semifinal, so clearly we’ve done enough — but not well enough, or not enough — for all of you to raise your hands. Hopefully, I’d like to see that one day,” he said.
Raza admitted that the mood in the camp has certainly changed from the time they started their T20 World Cup campaign.
“With every win it has changed. (After) the first game I could see that there was confidence and belief but with every game that has gone by, it got better and better,” he said.
“After the Ireland game when we qualified, I could see that the boys are as much as that they are hungry but they are also relieved the fact that we have qualified.” “That’s what win does. It sort of lifts you, the confidence comes back and you start believing a lot more,” Raza added. PTI DDV UNG
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