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Raza: Win over Australia ‘will count for nothing if we slip up now’
In the wake of a giant killing display against Australia, many might have expected Zimbabwe to be on cloud nine. However, captain Sikandar Raza was quick to ground those expectations ahead of his side’s encounter against Ireland on Tuesday, with the message coming out of the dressing room being one of focus rather than celebration.
“I think we never left earth anyway,” Raza said during a Monday’s pre-match briefing. “We know this is just part of the journey and the goals that we set. Those victories we have had so far will count for nothing if there is a slip-up now.”
Having played their opening two matches in Colombo, the action now moves to Pallekele – four hours apart, but two distinctly different grounds. With the game between Australia and Sri Lanka scheduled on the same pitch the night before their clash, Raza noted that the team would be “watching closely” to solve the final pieces of their selection puzzle.
“In my head, the picture will be very clear after I watch the game tonight,” Raza said. “We understand the challenges that come with the wicket, the altitude, the travelling of the ball, how the ball comes on all those notes we have made from past experiences.”
Zimbabwe go into this next game with momentum, a cornerstone of which has been the relentless performance of their pace battery. Raza was full of praise for the likes of Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans, noting that their current form – the trio have taken 16 wickets between them in two games – was the result of 18 months of experimentation and unwavering trust from the board.
“It has taken us a long time to get the combinations right,” Raza said. “We’ve been on this journey for the last 18 odd months, trying different combinations, and then when we found what we think will help us and suit us in these conditions, we stuck with them for the last nine odd months.”
He singled out Evans as a “great addition” who has stepped up as a third seamer. “Brad was injured, but he came back and he has taken those ranks as a third seamer with performances that I don’t even think I can sum him up in words because he has been a real good addition.”
Beyond the points table, Raza is acutely aware of what this tournament means for his team-mates on a personal level. Success on a World Cup stage is as much about visibility as it is about winning games.
“ICC events change lives in every way, whether that is recognition, whether that is fame, whether that is financial, respect, whichever way you look at it,” Raza said. “So yeah, it is life-changing and hopefully we can keep writing our own history and keep going further than we ever went in our history.”
With matches packed closely together, the physical toll on the players is rising. Raza acknowledged the “pros and cons” of the tight schedule, noting that while winning builds momentum, the body struggles to recover in these conditions. Yet, despite the tired legs and rise in expectations, the objective for Zimbabwe remains singular and simple. When asked if he would prefer more rest days between the action, Raza’s answer was short: “We would just prefer to keep winning.”
[Cricinfo]
Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.
Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.
Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat, to clear the air.
“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”
Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.
“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”
Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”
He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.
“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.
Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”
Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been hit by a missile – video shows fire and smoke rising in the aftermath.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says “every military target” on Iran’s key oil island has been “totally obliterated”, but there was no damage to oil infrastructure.
Kharg Island is a tiny but strategic terminal in the northern Gulf, 22 miles off the coast of Iran In response, Tehran warns oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US will be “turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy facilities are attacked
Elsewhere in the Middle East: Israel and Iran both warn of fresh attacks, and at least 12 medical staff have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon
Meanwhile, more US Marines and warships are expected to be deployed to the Middle East, two officials tell BBC’s partner CBS News
[BBC]
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.
A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.
Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.
Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.
The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.
Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.
But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.
The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.
(BBC)
Agha calls for ‘sportsman spirit’ after controversial dismissal
US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island
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