Harare [Zimbabwe], June 25 : Following his side's 35-run win over West Indies in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine said that not losing early wickets gave his side the breathing space they wanted during middle overs and the end of lauded Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl for their partnership.
An all-round performance helped Zimbabwe stun two-time champions West Indies by 35 runs in their ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers on Saturday.
"Looks like I have picked up a little calf strain and did not want to aggravate it. (On how tough it was to not be on the field) I would rather be out in the middle than sitting in the balcony and watching the boys play. Sean Williams is a very experienced campaigner and it looked like he had everything under control all the way through. Losing the toss and having to bat first, those 10-15 overs were quite tricky to navigate. The wicket was a little two-paced to begin with. We did well to not lose an early wicket and that gave us a bit of breathing space (towards the end and in the middle overs). Raza and Burl batted brilliantly for their 100-run stand. We did feel that we were maybe 20-30 short of what would probably be a winning score. It is always going to be tough (mentally). We have talked about treating every game and opposition the same. Today has been quite an emotional day for everybody and it is not a long time before we have to come back and play again on Monday. (On the crowd) Thank you to all the supporters who came out and supported us. The crowd was absolutely phenomenal and hopefully, we can see such a crowd again," he concluded.
Coming to the match, Zimbabwe was bundled out for 268 in 49.5 overs. Sikandar Raza (68 in 58 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Ryan Burl (50 in 57 balls, with five fours and a six) slammed impressive half-centuries. The duo put on 87 runs for the fifth wicket. Skipper Ervine scored 47 in 58 balls, with seven fours.
Keemo Paul (3/61), Alzarri Joseph (2/42) and Akeal Hosein (2/45) were among the wickets for WI.
In the chase of 269, WI was reduced to 46/2 at one point. Knocks from Kyle Mayers (56 in 72 balls with eight fours and a six), Roston Chase (44 in 53 balls, with three fours), Nicholas Pooran (34 in 36 balls with three fours and two sixes) and skipper Shai Hope (30 in 39 balls with three fours) kept two-time champions alive. However, Zimbabwe bowlers kept their nerves and denied Windies their third straight win.
Tendai Chatara (3/52) was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe. Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Raza got a wicket each as they bundled out Windies for 233.
Raza got another 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance.
With this win, Zimbabwe is at the top of Group A with three wins in three matches, a total of six points. On the other hand, WI is in the third position with two wins and a loss, a total of four points.
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