There's a lot to take from this World Cup: Zimbabwe's Craig Ervine after defeat against India
Nov 06, 2022
Melbourne [Australia], November 6 : Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine said that team's spirited bid to enter into the Super 12 stage ended in a disappointing finish but there are many positive takeaways for the team after they finished at the bottom of Group 2.
Suryakumar Yadav played yet another breathtaking knock of an unbeaten 61 from 25 balls followed by superb bowling from the bowlers that helped India bundle out Zimbabwe for 115 to clinch a 71-run win in their final Group 2, Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at Melbourne on Sunday.
"Look, it has been a little bit disappointing to obviously finish with three losses, but we mustn't forget the excellent work that we did during those qualifiers to get us into the Super 12s, and obviously beating Pakistan, as well. So there's a lot to take from this World Cup and build on that going forward," said Ervine at the post-match press conference on Sunday.
"You know, that win against Pakistan has tremendous value. I think those are the sort of memories that you do take away from a tournament like this. It's definitely something that will live on in Zimbabwe cricket. But like I've said before, we want to get more and more victories like that and try and be a little bit more consistent," he added.
Sikandar Raza was the star performer for Zimbabwe as he continued his blistering form and bagged 10 wickets while scoring 219 runs.
"Look, Sikandar has been awesome for us, and I think Zimbabwe cricket is at that stage where we are trying to get some development going and trying to bring other players through. Obviously, it does take a lot of time, and I think everybody understands that. It's an important few years for Zimbabwe cricket going forward," Ervine said.
Talking about the match, the fifties from KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav powered India to a competitive 186/5 in their 20 overs in their final Group 2, Super 12 match.
Men in Blue posted 186/5 in their 20 overs after opting to bat first. KL Rahul (51) and Virat Kohli (26) put a 60 run stand for the second wicket, but Sean Williams (2/9) squeezed some momentum out of their innings. However, Suryakumar Yadav (61*) made sure things finished well for Men in Blue.
Sean Williams (2/9) was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe. Raza, Muzarbani and Ngarava took a wicket each.
Chasing 187, Zimbabwe never really looked like a threat. Except for a 60-run stand for the sixth wicket between Raza (34) and Ryan Burl (35), Indian bowlers had all the control. Zimbabwe was bundled out for 115 runs in 17.2 overs and lost the match by 71 runs.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3/22) was the pick of the bowlers for India. Pacers Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya got two wickets each. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel got one wicket each.
Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged as 'Man of the Match' for his fine half-century.
