Coming in we had hope but started believing we can win after chasing 317 in the first ODI: Sikandar Raza

It is tough to fathom the fact that Zimbabwe played a bilateral series against a Test-playing nation after a gap of one year. They hosted India last year in June but were whitewashed by a second string squad 3-0. It is quite evident that Zimbabwe doesn’t play top notch sides often and yet they came up with a 3-2 ODI series win against Sri Lanka away from home.

Zimbabwe never won against Sri Lanka away

After chasing down a record total of 317 in the first game, Zimbabwe succumbed to consecutive losses in the next two games. The win at Galle started appearing a one-off win, which the Zimbabweans have managed in the past as well. They lacked consistency and were exposed against a higher ranked team playing away from home. That they would end up winning the last two games to make history was never envisaged by anyone.

Sikandar Raza was a key architect in Zimbabwe’s win. His all-round performance in the last ODI helped him win the Man of the Match award for his 27* and 3/21 with the ball. CrickTracker’s Abbas Haider got a chance to interview the star all-rounder. Raza said that he was never congratulated this much ever after Abbas greeted him at the start of the interview.

‘Celebrations to continue after the tour’

With the lone Test match set to begin in Colombo, Raza said that they had to cut short the celebrations to concentrate on the game in hand. “Off-field celebrations; the thing is we have got a game now and we had a travelling day today. We kept talking about it throughout our journey, so it gives us a very good momentum going into this Test series as well. We have good memories from the ODI series, confidence and belief. Off field celebrations, I think will continue for months after the conclusion of this tour.”

Zimbabwe has punched above their weight to surprise big sides in a one-off encounter. On being asked about the way things panned out in the series, Raza said that the tours to Holland and Scotland helped them to get some valuable practice before the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

“Luckily the thing was we played some sort of cricket before this tour, we went to Holland and Scotland so there was some sort of match practice behind us. Plus we kept the same squad throughout, without making too many changes, so the consistency showed by the selectors and coaches; showed a lot of belief from their side as well. That made players to play with a lot of freedom and we did that,” opined the 31-year-old.

‘Wanted to play good cricket in Sri Lanka’

A total of in excess of 300 was never chased down in Sri Lanka before but Zimbabwe pulled a miracle when they successfully amassed the target of 317 in the first ODI, which stunned the hosts. This was the turning point Raza said as the win converted their hopes into the belief of winning the ODI series.

“Before belief, we had hoped that we have come to Sri Lanka and play some good cricket. But at times, you play good cricket and still lose because the other team was just better on the day. After chasing down 317 in the first game, we were pretty certain that ‘boys this is definitely something we can achieve!’ But yeah, before believing, we had a hope.”

Sikandar Raza averages 32.41 after making 1844 runs in 70 games. His averages rise to 70 in successful chases of Zimbabwe, which Raza himself was oblivious to. On being asked if he particularly likes chasing Raza said: “I wasn’t aware that my average while chasing is 70-odd. But personally, I would always want to win the toss and bat first but since the stats are telling something else maybe it is something I should start considering.”

Finishing act by Raza

Zimbabwe felt the pressure in the final game, a must-win for both sides. The visitors were off to a flying start as the openers added 92 runs in 86 balls. But a mini collapse meant that Zimbabwe were left to get 29 runs from just 3 wickets in hand. The home side could smell victory but Raza stood in between taking his side home. He remained unbeaten on a run-a-ball 27. Abbas told Raza that his finishing act reminded people of Dhoni but the all-rounder laughed it off by saying that Dhoni is an all-time legend.

“(laughs) it is very humbling that you have spoken of me with such a personality. But the bottom line is, that one guy (Raza himself) is still finding his feet while the other guy is mashallah a legend of the game. I don’t think so that there are many similarities or can be between me and a class act like Mahendra, who has done everything that there is (in the game). He has actually shown the world, not just me, sometimes how to pace your innings to finish (an innings).

Cab only improve further if we play consistently

Abbas summed up the interview by asking Raza about what could be expected from Zimbabwe cricket next. Raza wasn’t happy with the gaps between their series against top sides. He urged that if people want to see Zimbabwe cricket rise, they must be encouraged to play consistently throughout the year.

“It is true, the bottom line is, you are talking to me here and if we don’t play in a single series in the next three months then where do we go from there? If we happen to play in another series after three months and, God forbid we don’t perform well, no one will talk to us, no one wants to hear about Zimbabwe; what the struggles as cricketers we go through and what do we have to do to train for just one series which comes after three months sometimes.”

“If we get to play consistently, big series where there are 5 ODIs, a Test match and a T20I or two Test matches and 2 T20Is; as Zimbabweans, we would welcome any type of cricket. Any country, which is free, and hopefully two boards can meet and come up with free dates to play, we would appreciate that. As long as we play consistently, then you will see, inshallah, you will see better improvement as well,” he concluded.

Hopefully, the ICC takes note of that and indulges Zimbabweans into more fixtures in the near future. Till then, though, they can rejoice. The series win against Sri Lanka has to be the best moment of their cricketing history.

You can listen to the audio of the interview here