CHEVRONS SEEK HISTORIC SERIES WIN
ZIMBABWE have a good chance to secure a historic T20I series win against Sri Lanka when the sides meet in the third and final match in Colombo this afternoon.
The match starts at 3.30pm (Zim time). The series is tied 1-1 after Zimbabwe’s dramatic four-wicket win with a ball to spare on Tuesday while chasing 174.
Zimbabwe could have actually wrapped the series on Tuesday had they not choked in the opener on Sunday when they conceded 14 runs in the final over and 26 in the final two overs while defending a modest 143 to lose by three wickets off the final ball.
This however, means there is more pressure on the hosts to bring out their best in today’s match and they have the manpower to completely dominate the Chevrons.
All-rounder and T20I captain Sikandar Raza will be motivated to atone for the rare poor individual show in today’s match as is all-rounder Sean Williams, if he is selected.
Raza fell for eight runs from five balls while he went wicketless in his five overs, though economic at 6.25 while Williams scored just one run and wicket-less for 24 runs in three overs.
All-rounder Luke Jongwe virtually secured his place in today’s finale with a man-of-thematch performance on Tuesday.
After an otherwise expensive spell with the ball that had some fans calling for his immediate axing, Jongwe clobbered 25 runs off 12 balls to stun the Sri Lankans.
In a post-match interview, Jongwe conceded that the target of 20 runs off the final over looked way too much.
Crucially, Jongwe had a plan to target a Sri Lankan all-rounder in one of the last three overs that worked well.
Jongwe took to the crease in the 17th over, and struck one four in his first seven balls. But with the frontline bowlers having only two overs left, he knew there would be easier runs on offer later.
“I knew they needed one over from someone, because Chameera was done and Madushanka was done. I told myself I wasn’t going to take a risk against them, and wait until the last over, and give myself the best chance.
“I think 20 runs was a lot to be honest. The wicket got better to bat on — Sri Lanka had been 25 for 4, and we were looking to restrict them to 140. But when we bowled in the death
ZIMBABWE all-rounder Sikandar Raza has signed for Northamptonshire for the 2024 Vitality Blast campaign.
Raza, who is the skipper of the Zimbabwean T20 national side currently on tour of Sri Lanka, is expected to bring a wealth of experience with him to the County Ground.
Since the Chevrons are not involved in the T20 World Cup being held in the USA and Caribbean this June, Raza will be available for all 14 Blast North Group fixtures, and he is setting his sights on success with the Steelbacks.
“I’m delighted to be coming to Northamptonshire,” said Raza.
“This will be a different challenge for me but I’ve loved playing cricket in England in the past.
“It’s always been a wish to play in the Vitality Blast so I’m looking forward to fulfilling that.”
“I would like to entertain the fans and put a smile on their face with as many wins as possible,” said Raza.
“Our first task is to secure a quarter final spot and then take that momentum and belief into the latter stages and hopefully lift the trophy.
— I bowled in the death as well — we talked afterwards and thought that something had changed in the wicket. The ball was starting to come on to the bat nicely. We knew we just need to keep wickets intact and build partnerships to try and get our team over the line.”
Meanwhile, Jongwe had Angelo Mathews wallpaper when he was younger (whether this was a physical poster or the background screen on a device wasn’t clear). Mathews was also Jongwe’s social media profile picture for a while. So what did Jongwe do to thank Mathews for the years of inspiration?
He smashed him for six, four, six in the deciding over of a T20I in Mathews’ comeback series, of course. Those consecutive boundaries transformed Zimbabwe’s chances of victory from exceedingly slim when there were 20 needed off the last over, to almost a sure thing, with the requirement down to three off four
“Looking at the side we have a decent squad and a lot of good players, I’m looking forward to using my experience to help us win as many games as possible and help the younger players as well.”
The 37-year-old Pakistani-born off-spinning all-rounder has played in 80 T20 internationals, as well as more than 200 T20 matches for teams across the globe.
Currently ranked fifth in the ICC Men’s T20I all-rounder world rankings, Raza has scored more than 4,000 runs and claimed more than 100 wickets since his debut in 2010, and he recently became the first player to score five consecutive T20i half centuries, and has been nominated as ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.
Steelbacks head coach John Sadler said: “We’re delighted with the signing of Sikandar for the Blast.
“He’s a very experienced, high performer on a global scale.
“He’s a three dimensional cricketer who always has an impact in every game he plays, we know he’s also a fierce competitor which will be fantastic for us.” — Sports Reporter/Northamptonshire Telegraph
(Jongwe’s hero had also bowled him a no-ball).
Jongwe was also dropped off the bowling of Mathews before the match ended, with Zimbabwe sealing victory off the penultimate ball. This was the third tight finish of the tour, but Zimbabwe’s first win.
“Over the past few months I’ve been in situations where I could have won games for my country, and even for my franchise back home, and I couldn’t do it,” Jongwe said after the game. “I got close, but couldn’t cross the line. Doing it against Sri Lanka, considering Angelo was one of my role models growing up, is even better. That’s special.
“He used to be my wallpaper when I was a kid. He was still using Gray-Nicolls gear at that time. I was still a youngster. On Facebook at one point he was my profile picture. There’s too much happening for me today. There are a lot of emotions. I’m just grateful to God.”