adminHOBART. – The Super 12s are only just beginning but Zimbabwe have already achieved their major goal of the T20 World Cup: to actually get to this point.
Coach Dave Houghton previously said he would not consider his team to have actually qualified for the tournament unless they advanced from the first round and secured a spot among the bigger teams.
Now, they have done that and been given a licence to “do cause as much damage as we can,” which they are accepting with a mixture of trepidation and thrill.
“Everybody’s really, really looking forward to playing the bigger teams and putting up some more good performances and just carrying on the momentum that we’ve built up so far,” Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe’s captain said.
It’s a far cry from the Zimbabwean side that were on the edge of their seats more than four years ago, when they bottled a chase of 230 in a rain-affected 40-over match against UAE and missed out on the 2019 World Cup.
At 7 for 2 in their must-win game against Scotland on Friday, Zimbabwe feared history may be repeating itself but getting over the line in that match has helped them exorcise some of the ghosts of that previous failure.
“It’s been nice to qualify and put all those demons to bed from the UAE game. A lot of guys obviously had a few of those thoughts at the back of their minds – once we lost two wickets in the first couple overs against Scotland, but to get over the line there was absolutely crucial for us,” Ervine said. “There’s a bit of relief in the camp, and now guys will have a lot of weight off their shoulders, and can now enjoy the next few games.”
With no further expectations or explicit targets in mind, Zimbabwe enter the Super 12s unshackled although they remain acutely aware of what they are up against. “It’s probably a little bit nerve-racking to have to play all these big teams again, but it’s a great opportunity for guys to put their hands up and get in some real solid performances,” Ervine said. “It does take away a little bit of the pressure that we have felt over the last week during the qualifiers. I think that guys will be able to express themselves a little bit more and just have a little bit more freedom to come out and just play the game of cricket.” – Cricinfo
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter