New Delhi: Zimbabwe may have lost the T20I series 3-0 to India, but captain Sikandar Raza believes the experience of playing one of the world’s strongest teams will help his side improve in the long run.
After the series defeat, Raza said matches against top-quality opposition are exactly what Zimbabwe need to close the gap with the leading cricket nations.
India completed a clean sweep after beating Zimbabwe by 35 runs in the third T20I at the Harare Sports Club. Chasing 193, the hosts managed 157/7 despite an unbeaten half-century from Ryan Burl.
Reflecting on the series, Raza thanked Zimbabwe Cricket for arranging games against a top-ranked side and said the lessons from the three matches would benefit the team going forward.
‘A lot of them, to be honest with you. I think, firstly, well done to Zimbabwe Cricket for hosting these fixtures because if you do not play against the top nations in the world as a country, we can’t grow.
‘And I think world cricket is much better when all the countries are playing good cricket. So the learnings from this series will certainly help us to bridge that gap between the top nations and the slightly lower-ranked nations because I feel like cricket is a lot more entertaining when everybody is playing really well.’
Despite the disappointing result, the Zimbabwe captain found several positives from the performances of his younger players. He was particularly pleased with the progress shown by Newman Nyamhuri, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Wessly Madhevere during the series.
‘And for us, the biggest learning is the experience that we have had. Nyamhuri has been certainly a great addition to the side as well. Marumani taking on the number six and seven role. Madhevere has had some decent runs. So, there’s a lot of good things that I can think of. So, very happy.’
Raza also spoke about the cultural changes taking place inside Zimbabwe’s dressing room. He said the team’s goal is to build a group that plays with aggression, commitment and unity, while accepting that setbacks will be part of the journey.
‘The journey started long ago. We wanted to change a few things in the change room. We wanted to be there for each other’s success. We wanted to be there for each other’s failures.
‘We wanted to put our heart on our sleeves. We wanted to die for every ball. We wanted to bowl every ball with intent and bat every ball with intent. Along the way, especially this new cycle, we want to change a few things because we feel like we have to match the intensity of world cricket.
‘And along the way, we will have some bad games and I’m very okay with that. But one thing I do know, once the lessons, once the experience we have had match the standard of world cricket, once Zimbabwe come out, we will flourish.’
The Zimbabwe skipper struggled with the bat throughout the series and even registered a golden duck in the final T20I. Looking ahead to the upcoming tri-series in Namibia, Raza admitted he needs to contribute more as captain but remained confident his runs are not far away.
‘Certainly try and buy a run for myself. That will be the first thing I look at (smiles). No, the team has held themselves really well without my contributions. But as a leader, I know where I falter and what I need to do.
‘And I still need to be leading this team from the front with everything that I do. But very happy how the team has gone about their business without me scoring runs. Hopefully, when I start contributing, I’ll add a lot more to the team’s success. And I’m pretty sure those runs are around the corner.’