Zimbabwe’s seasoned all-rounder Sikandar Raza is on the verge of a significant achievement, needing just 15 runs to become the first player from his country to amass 3000 runs in T20I cricket. Raza is set
to aim for this milestone during a crucial encounter against defending champions India at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
Raza’s current tally stands at 2985 runs, accumulated over 131 matches and 126 innings. With an average of 26.18, he has notched up 16 half-centuries and one century in the format.
Achieving the 3000-run mark will place him among an elite group, joining the ranks of Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Paul Stirling, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Waseem, David Warner, Suryakumar Yadav, Virandeep Singh, Aaron Finch, and Quinton de Kock.
In the lead-up to the decisive Super Eight clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe’s all-rounder Ryan Burl acknowledged the high stakes involved. Zimbabwe is looking to bounce back after a heavy defeat to the West Indies in their opening Super Eight fixture, where they fell short by 107 runs while chasing a daunting total of 255 at the Wankhede.
With both Zimbabwe and India vying to keep their semi-final aspirations alive, Burl recognized the match’s significance for both teams. India finds themselves under pressure as well, following a 76-run loss in their Super Eight opener, which has complicated their campaign.
“It is a must-win match for us; it’s also a must-win game for India. There’s obviously a lot at stake here, being a World Cup game, and if we are to progress to the semi-finals, we both want to look at winning tomorrow’s game. So I think we are both excited. Obviously, we don’t get to play India a lot, so it’s something that we really have been looking forward to, and we will grab the opportunity with both hands,” Burl stated in the pre-match press conference.
(With Agency Inputs)
