‘Unbelievable’: Sikandar Raza hails Zimbabwe’s stunning upset of Australia

NEW DELHI: Zimbabwe stand-in skipper Sikandar Raza termed their stunning 23-run victory over Australia as “unbelievable”, saying the culture, unity and environment nurtured within the squad made the famous win possible.

Zimbabwe stunned Australia in their Group B T20 World Cup clash at the R Premadasa Stadium here on Friday, successfully defending 169/2 as the heavyweights were bowled out for 146 in 19.3 overs.

Also READ: Zimbabwe stun Australia in massive T20 World Cup upset

"Very happy and above all, very proud. Feeling of a brother whose younger brothers are achieving a lot together," he said at the post-match presentation.

Raza chipped in with an unbeaten 25 off 13 balls and opened the bowling, but a nasty leg cramp during his ninth over forced him off the field in visible pain, leaving him to watch the tense finish from the dressing room as his young side held on for a historic result.

"So it was nice to watch from outside and see how the team went about their business, the culture, the environment, the unity that we have taken, that we have created over a long time. Just to see it from outside, I was extremely proud, and on top of that, a win. It's just unbelievable.

"But the way we came and the way we bowled, the way we started, the way we fielded every catch, some of the boundary stops, it's just unbelievable. I mean, there's nothing to fault the boys for. It looked like the boys wanted it, and I think they really did and they deserved to win today."

Fast bowlers set the tone

Fast bowlers Blessing Muzarabani (4/17) and Brad Evans (3/23) tore through Australia’s top order inside the first four overs, removing Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Tim David and Travis Head to put Zimbabwe firmly in control.

Raza later revealed he had been battling cramps and is coping with a thin squad.

"In Sri Lanka, this is not the first time that's happened, but sometimes, just the pressure of the game and leading a side, the workload and everything, these things can happen.

"But all I can tell you is, these are just cramps. I know over the next day or two with good recovery, it should be fine."

Thin squad, big belief

The win was made even more special as Zimbabwe achieved it without their regular captain Brendan Taylor, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury.

"We have just 13 able bodies right now and I went down and even (Graeme) Cremer has a bit of a niggle. But I am sure Zimbabwe Cricket is looking into the replacements because in these conditions, you need 15 able bodies.

"The boys deserve to enjoy today. If we keep the same processes, and take it one game at a time (it'll be good). We are in a great position, but it doesn't mean anything. So the next game is now the most important one," Raza added.

The result blew Group B wide open, with Zimbabwe just behind leaders Sri Lanka on net run-rate, while Australia slipped to third and now face must-win encounters against Sri Lanka (February 16) and Oman (February 20).

Head stays calm amid setback

Stand-in Australia captain Travis Head said there was no cause for panic, drawing comparisons with Australia’s 2023 ODI World Cup campaign that also began with consecutive defeats.

"We've been there before. I said at the toss, we saw it in 2023 with a few defeats and injuries. We have a few guys here who were there in India in 2023 and we'll look to navigate this situation and use that blueprint."

Explaining the decision to bowl first, Head said the pitch appeared slightly tacky early on but believed the target was within reach.

"We thought it's a good wicket. A bit tacky at the start and we thought it would be even through the two innings. Even though we only took two wickets, I thought they were a bit under par.

"But we lost early wickets and came under pressure. They played well. I still felt like we'd have taken the score and were happy to chase that.

"The feedback throughout was that it was a good wicket. We put ourselves under pressure by losing wickets. We found a partnership in the middle but we left ourselves with too many."

Injuries continue to trouble Australia, with Mitchell Marsh sidelined due to a groin issue and Tim David returning from a hamstring strain.

Australia’s pace stocks are also stretched, with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood unavailable — the first time since 2011 that Australia are featuring at a World Cup without Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc together.

(With PTI Inputs)