After Heavy Defeat in ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Raza Says Zimbabwe Must Learn, Not Blame Venue

Zimbabwe was thrashed by a whopping 107 runs in their T20 World Cup Super 8 match against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Zimbabwe had played their first four matches in Sri Lanka, but they have had to travel to India for their Super 8 match against the West Indies. Speaking on the challenges of traveling from Sri Lanka to India for their Super 8 match, Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza, who captains the team, said that it does not bother him at all and that what was important was for them to learn from their defeat.

After the match, Sikandar Raza, when asked about the difficulties of changing the venue, said that he didn't want to think that way. "If we think about the venue, if we think about changing the country, then we won't learn anything from this game. It's very important for me and Zimbabwe to learn something from this... excuses won't help us. If we're good enough to move forward, we must play good cricket, no matter where we are, here or in Sri Lanka. So, changing the venue doesn't matter to me; what matters is that we learned some valuable lessons from today."

"We lost control here"
He said, "We expected the pitch to be perfect and flat, but it started turning, and we lost control there. From an experience perspective, it was a great game. The boys will learn a lot, including how to bowl on a slow pitch and how to bowl to batsmen who are hitting the ball hard and far." If we play against a team like the West Indies again in a smaller venue, today's lessons will definitely help us.

Regarding the run chase, he said, "There was a point when Tony and I felt that even if the score comes down to 18 runs per over in the last seven overs, this ground gives you a chance. When you connect, the ball really flies. The idea was to keep going at 12 or 13 runs per over, which we had been doing for some time without pushing. Unfortunately, Moti's spell completely changed the course of the game. But, on this ground, if you have two set batsmen, you're never completely out. A lot of runs can be scored in the last five to eight overs. Every time Zimbabwe takes the field, our goal is to win."

Regarding the next match against India, he said, "We want to put in a strong performance and earn respect. Now we face India. Both teams have lost matches. So we have a lot to prove." We'll learn from today, use what we know about Chennai, and try to perform better. Then we'll see what happens.