‘Gave away 20 extra runs and lost by 23 runs’ - Sikandar Raza analyzes Zimbabwe’s defeat in third T20I against India

Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza was disappointed after a 23-run defeat against India in the third T20I in Harare. The Men in Blue were given multiple lifelines in the first innings, which helped the visitors post 182 runs on the board. The Chevrons have been poor in the field for the entire series and Raza is frustrated with that, especially on a night, when the result could have gone the other way.

Analyzing that, Raza noted that they gave 20 extra runs and eventually lost by 23. The veteran all-rounder was also not happy with the performance of the top-order batters. Chasing 183 runs, they needed a good start but Zimbabwe were 19/3 at one stage. Despite so, Raza assured that he has full faith in the opening duo of Wessly Madhevere and Tadiwanashe Marumani and will back them to get runs.

“I think it's the fielding again, we are proud of our fielding but the wheels came off today, we gave away 20 extra runs and we lost by 23 runs. We still have problems at the top but I have utmost faith in them that they will come good some time. We have tried 15 different partners (openers) in the last year and a half or so,” Raza said in the post-match presentation.

Also Read - Watch: Ravi Bishnoi’s Jonty Rhodes-like catch leaves Brian Bennett stunned

Time that our players including myself take up the responsibility: Raza

Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza wasn’t happy with the effort of the senior players, including his own. The 38-year-old failed to deliver with the bat, which put more pressure on the hosts. He expects other seniors to learn from their mistakes and rectify them in the coming future. The all-rounder also gave clarity over the opener’s problem and stated that they deserve a longer run.

Also Read - Twitter Reactions: Captain Gill leads by example, another impressive outing for bowlers

“It's time that our players including myself take up the responsibility. The youngsters making mistakes is acceptable but the senior players need to step up. You cannot fix a problem by creating another problem, we have picked 3 openers for a reason. The openers that have been picked up should be given a run,” Raza stated.