Raza, Muzarabani shine for Chevrons
ZIMBABWE national cricket team all-rounder Sikandar Raza yesterday said the Chevrons were leaving Australia with heavy hearts after the team failed to make the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup.
The Chevrons finished bottom in Group 2 of the Super 12s following Sunday’s 71 runs defeat to group winners India.
Eventually it was India and Pakistan who pulled through from the group, which also had South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands.
The Chevrons, who reached their high when they shocked former champions Pakistan by one run in their second game, are now expected home this week.
But as they return, they would look back at a number of missed opportunities which included the close three-run defeat to Bangladesh and the shock five-wicket loss to the Netherlands, which effectively extinguished their chances in the Group 2 that had been kept open by a string of unexpected results.
But it was not all gloom for Zimbabwe, who were playing in the Super 12s for the first time in six ICC T20 World Cup appearances.
Star all-rounder Raza made such a huge impact at the tournament. His 219 runs placed him among the top five run scorers at the conclusion of the Super 12 stage. Raza was only surpassed by India’s Virat Kohli (246), Max O’Dowd of the Netherlands (242), Suryakumar Yadav (225) and Kusal Mendis (223) of Sri Lanka. His score of 82 runs against Ireland was also among the top five individual scores in an innings. Raza also had the best bowling figures for Zimbabwe with his 3-19 against the West Indies.
Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani had the most wickets for Zimbabwe after getting 12 scalps at the World Cup. Raza was second with 10. He paid tribute to the Zimbabwean fans based in Australia who were behind the team throughout.
“Leaving Australia with a heavy heart but thank you for so many great memories. Special mention to everyone who turned up at the grounds to support us; you represented people back home really well.
“Lastly hope the Chevrons made you believe and smile. See you soon home,” tweeted Raza.
This has been the best year for Raza, who hit a new milestone after he became the firstever player in the history of T20I cricket to score 500-plus runs and take 25 wickets in a calendar year.
The all-rounder accomplished this landmark against India in his side’s final Super 12 clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
In the match, Raza scored 34 off 24 balls with the bat and took 1/18 in three overs as a bowler. But his contributions were not enough to secure a win for Zimbabwe.
This year, Raza has scored 735 runs in 24 matches in 23 innings at an average of 35.00. Five half-centuries have come out of his bat, with the best individual score of 87.
He has scored these runs at a strike rate of 150.92. Raza has also taken 25 wickets at an average of 17.68 and an economy rate of 6.13.
Based on these fine statistics, the 36-yearold made history when he became the first Zimbabwean cricketer to win the ICC Player of the Month in August.
He beat leading all-rounders Mitchell Santner of New Zealand and England’s Ben Stokes to the award. Raza was nominated for the second time in three months for the October award. But the fairy-tale was disrupted when he was beaten to the podium by India’s in-form batsman Virat Kohli in the October ballot.
The winner of the award is determined through a global vote conducted among media representatives, ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and fans registered at icc-cricket.com