T20 World Cup 2022: I thought we were 20-25 runs short but our seamers were able to hit the straps – Craig Ervine

Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine was delighted after his team stunned Pakistan by one run at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. Zimbabwe posted only 130 runs on the board after Ervine won the toss and decided to bat first.

Ervine reckons his team was 20-25 runs short of a par score but their fast bowlers were able to hit the straps. Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans were able to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam respectively to put Pakistan on the back foot.

In the middle overs, Sikandar Raza got three big wickets of Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, and Haider Ali. Furthermore, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, and Richard Ngarava were brilliant with the ball for the African nation.

Evans had to defend 11 runs in the final over and he was put under pressure after he conceded seven runs on the first two balls. However, he bounced back as Zimbabwe registered a famous win against Pakistan.

Raza took three wickets, Brad Evans provided two breakthroughs while Blessing Muzarabani and Luke Jongwe took one wicket each. Zimbabwe could not get a par score but their bowlers were able to get their team back into the contest. Richard Ngarava went wicketless but he was economical in his spell of four overs as he conceded only 24 runs.

Craig Ervine said, “So special. Especially for the work we did to get into the Super 12s. We did not want our tournament to end there. We wanted to come in and play some really good cricket against top teams and we did that exceptionally well today. I thought after our batting performance, we thought we were maybe 20-25 short, but I thought our seamers hit their straps early on. Raza again came to the party as he always does and picked up a few crucial wickets in the middle there. I think he’s (Raza) got three Man of the Matches, so I’m gonna be broke by the time we get home. Also, I want to thank the Zimbabwean supporters that came out today to support us. You guys really lift our spirits wherever we go, so special thanks.”

Zimbabwe will be thrilled after such a big win and they would want to continue in the same fashion in the upcoming matches.

Zimbabwe will next take on Bangladesh at the Gabba, Brisbane on Sunday.