Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza expressed disappointment after failing to stay in the middle till the very end, despite his team securing a thrilling one-wicket win over Ireland.
Raza played a pivotal role with both bat and ball as Zimbabwe claimed a last-ball victory in the thrilling opening T20I of a three-match series against Ireland. Although Raza scored an impressive 65 runs off 42 balls, his innings was cut short by a stunning delivery from Mark Adair when Zimbabwe needed 11 runs off nine balls while chasing 148.
Reflecting on the match in a post-match presentation, Raza said, “Nice to be part of history. Credit goes to fans for coming out in numbers. First game under lights, cracker of a game. I thought they got five to eight too many. Credit to Delany to have batted the way he did. Happy with the chase, credit to the batters. Made mistakes here and there but important that we got over the line. I am never a guy who looks into personal performances. I was gutted to have not finished the game.”
Blessing Muzarabani secured victory for Zimbabwe, hitting a couple off Barry McCarthy on the final ball. Raza was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance, finishing with figures of 4-0-28-3.
Despite a strong start towards victory, Zimbabwe faced a moment of tension as Clive Madande was dismissed by Little after scoring a crucial 20 off 11 balls. The second T20I between Zimbabwe and Ireland is scheduled to take place on Saturday.