The India tour of Zimbabwe 2024 culminated in a high-stakes fifth T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 14. Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwean team, facing a 3-1 series deficit, looked to salvage some pride in the final encounter. Their campaign had started brightly, securing a surprise 13-run victory in the first T20I. Skipper Raza himself played a key role in that win, earning Player of the Match honors with a well-rounded performance – scoring 17 runs off 19 balls and claiming 3 wickets for just 25 runs.
The second T20I saw a dominant batting performance from India. Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Rinku Singh tore through the Zimbabwean bowling attack, leaving them with no answers. Blessing Muzarabani and Wellington Masakadza managed just a single wicket apiece as India piled up a massive 234 runs for the loss of only 2 wickets. Zimbabwe’s chase was never on track, and they succumbed to a heavy 100-run defeat.
The pattern continued in the third T20I. Although Zimbabwe’s bowlers weren’t quite as dismantled compared to the previous match, they still conceded a sizable total of 182 runs, with Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani taking two wickets each. Unfortunately, the Zimbabwean batting unit again faltered, and their chase fell short by 23 runs. The fourth T20I offered a glimmer of hope for Zimbabwe. Their batsmen finally put up a decent score of 152 runs for 7 wickets. However, their bowling woes continued, and India comfortably chased down the target with 10 wickets remaining.
Finally, in the fifth and final T20I, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bowl first. This time, they managed to restrict India to a more manageable total of 167 for 6. However, their struggles with the bat continued. They were bundled out for a mere 125 runs, losing the match by 42 runs and the series 4-1.
In his post-match comments, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza acknowledged Blessing Muzarabani’s consistent bowling performance throughout the series. However, he admitted that their batting needs significant improvement and their fielding was well below par.
“I thought Blessing bowled well the whole series. Batting-wise, we are still below par, but we are starting to rectify the problems at the top. You are going to have bad games here and there. The grey area for me will remain our attitude in the field, we are still making a lot of mistakes, that’s controllable, we are going to keep working hard and hopefully keep getting better,” Raza said at the post-match presentation.
Sikandar Raza on workload management
Sikandar Raza also addressed the need for workload management and hinted at ongoing shoulder issues. Raza also said that he wants to go back to domestic cricket to test his fitness.
“My workload needs to be managed. I haven’t played any four-day cricket in the last two years post my surgeries. My shoulder isn’t 100%, I don’t want to be a guy who just gets a jersey. I need to go back, respect my domestic cricket and also respect my domestic cricketers who have put a lot of runs. I will go back to play domestic cricket and test my own fitness. I am still available for Test match cricket but at this point of time, I am not because I haven’t played a lot of four-day cricket. I’ll leave for Manchester for The Hundred in a few days time, I am looking forward to that,” he concluded.
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