Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said he should contribute more with the bat after his side suffered a 90-run defeat in the second T20I against India in Harare. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 129, chasing 220, and the defeat meant India clinched the series with one game remaining.
“Yeah, we were going to go for it anyway and if you look at our openers as well, I think they gave us the start we needed,” Raza said. “Unfortunately, I think it comes down to inexperience sometimes, (and) sometimes shot selection and we let ourselves down. But most importantly, I think that I, as a captain leading the team, let the team down with my bat.”
Raza has not performed well in T20 recently. He dropped three consecutive single-digit scores in the format, including 4 and 0 against India after being dismissed for 3 against Bangladesh shortly before. Raza’s lack of runs reflected Zimbabwe’s lack of returns with the bat. In their last three T20Is, Zimbabwe have managed to score just 143 and 126 first while chasing the total they were bowled out by 129 runs.
“But the onus is on me to try and get it right because my team needs my runs and my bowling and that hasn’t happened in the last two T20 games,” he said. “I will do my best to change the situation because the team can handle my runs very well.”
The third T20I against India will be played in Harare on Sunday and Zimbabwe and the Razas will be hoping for a change in fortunes to avoid a clean sweep of a 3-0 win.