"We were playing catch-up cricket": Zimbabwe captain Raza makes honest admission after defeat against Bangladesh
May 05, 2024
Chattogram [Bangladesh], May 5 : Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza made an honest admission about their shortcomings in the second T20I against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Sunday.
The writing was on the wall for the visitors when they were reduced to 38/4 halfway through the innings. Brian Bennett and debutant Johnathan Campbell managed to give Zimbabwe something to defend with their 73-run stand.
Even in the first match, Zimbabwe were put in a similar spot by clinical spells from the Bangladesh bowlers.
Sikandar talked about their shortcomings on the batting front after the six-wicket defeat and said, "You couldn't say it any better (on the top-order batting); getting no boundaries in the batting PP (powerplay) meant we were playing catch-up cricket. Credit goes to the middle order for their efforts in taking us to 138. There's a lot to learn and hopefully we'll learn quickly."
Bennett stayed unbeaten with a knock of 44 off 29 deliveries with two fours and three towering sixes. Campbell entertained the fans with his knock of 45 off 24 deliveries with four boundaries and three maximums. Their collective effort propelled Zimbabwe's score to 138/7.
"We are grooming some youngsters with an eye on the future and those two did really well (on Campbell and Bennett). Hopefully, we'll do some soul-searching and get better for the rest of the games," Raza added.
The game was interrupted by rain and Zimbabwe's job became harder due to the wet outfield. Raza was impressed with the way his bowlers performed but demanded more in the fielding aspect of the game.
"I don't think we could have bowled any better. The wicket got better with the two rain breaks, the ball became wet and we couldn't have done any better. We could have fielded a tad better, though and they're those small things that matter a lot in the end," Raza concluded.
Zimbabwe will look to keep the series alive in the third T20I against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Tuesday.
