Our seamers hit their straps early on: Craig Ervine on bowlers importance in win
Oct 27, 2022
Perth [Australia], October 27 : Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine appreciated his bowlers who defended a low total to secure a win after the batters failed to put on a big score on the board for the Pakistani team to chase.
He heaped praises on the team's bowlers who pulled back things to ensure a victory for Zimbabwe and also acknowledged the key contribution from star all-rounder Sikandar Raza in the victory.
"I thought after our batting performance, we thought we were maybe 20-25 short, but I thought our seamers hit their straps early on. Raza again came to the party as he always does and picked up a few crucial wickets in the middle there," said Ervine.
He termed this win special as the team had put in lots of hard work to reach this stage. Sharing how his team wanted to compete with the best he said, "So special. Especially for the work, we did to get into the Super 12s. We did not want our tournament to end there. We wanted to come in and play some outstanding cricket against top teams and we did that exceptionally well today."
"I think he's (Raza) got three Man of the Matches, so I'm gonna be broke by the time we get home. Also I want to thank the Zimbabwean supporters that came out today to support us. You guys really lift our spirits wherever we go, so special thanks," shared the left-hander about the crowd support the team has received during their matches in Australia.
Pakistan's team over dependency on their opening stand came back to haunt them as Zimbabwe defeated them in a low-scoring thriller by one run to clinch their first Super-12 win of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Thursday at the Perth Stadium.
Pakistan made a mess of a paltry chase as they suffered a batting collapse and left their bowlers to chase and win the match for them. All-rounder Sikandar Raza took three wickets in a short span to dismantle the chase.
Earlier, Pakistani bowlers unleashed hell upon the batting lineup of Zimbabwe to trigger a batting collapse, restricting them to just 130/8.
Pakistan's decision to play an extra pacer in Mohammad Wasim Jr worked wonders for the team as the youngster ended with his best T20I bowling figures (4/24) to restrict Zimbabwe to a below-par total. Sean Williams and Brad Evans helped the team cross the 100-run mark.
