Zimbabwe batsmen admit letdown in T20 series again...

Zimbabwe batsmen admit letdown in T20 series against Bangladesh

Zim Now Writer

Zimbabwe’s T20I captain, Sikandar Raza, has taken responsibility for the team's struggles in the ongoing series against Bangladesh. Despite being a key player for Zimbabwe for a long time, Raza has not performed well, scoring just zero, three, and one run in the three matches played so far.

Bangladesh currently leads the series 3-0, with Zimbabwe's closest call being a nine-run defeat in the third T20I. Raza acknowledged the team’s fighting spirit but pointed out the lack of runs from the top order, including himself.

“We needed to support (Tadiwanashe) Marumani and we could have chased it down,” Raza said.

“A lot of runs have come from the lower order, they’ve been working hard, but the results need to come.”

Young players like Clive Madande, Wellington Masakadza, Jonathan Campbell, Brian Bennett, and Faraz Akram have been the source of runs for Zimbabwe. This is a concern for both Raza and interim coach Stuart Matsikenyeri, as contributions from senior players could have changed the outcome of the matches.

“We have several youngsters whom we're grooming, it's not easy for them to come to Bangladesh and do well,” Raza noted. “Those three youngsters put up their hands and brought us close, but it’s the top order which needs to deliver for us.”

Coach Matsikenyeri echoed Raza’s sentiment, highlighting the need for improvement from the top order. “We haven’t played to the standard that we expect ourselves to,” he said. “The core of the batting needs to make more meaningful contributions so that we put ourselves in positions of winning games.”

The two teams will play the fourth T20I today in Mirpur, Bangladesh.