Raza backs Chevrons youngsters to succeed

Sports Reporter

Zimbabwe Chevrons’ skipper Sikandar Raza is optimistic that the young players who have been entrusted with carrying the team forward will finally find their feet in international cricket if they continue to get exposure. 

The upcoming generation of the Chevrons received a rude awakening on Sunday as India bounced back in emphatic style and won by 100 runs to level the five-match T20 series. 

And the Chevrons skipper believes the young players that have been drafted into the team will only learn through that experience and playing at the international level.

“A lot of mistakes our youngsters have made have been due to lack of experience, and not so much to do with their skills, so that’s a positive as well. 

“As they play, as they will continue to find their feet in international cricket and learn.

“We all have been there,” said Raza. 

The Zimbabwe T20 skipper feels that making changes to the team that lost on Sunday will send a wrong mes-sage to the young players and the rest of the team.

“Making changes sends a bad message in the changing room, especially after one bad game, and suddenly there’s a whole lot of changes. 

“The best thing for us as a group- of course as coaches, myself, and the selectors- can do is to keep showing faith in the same guys and hopefully they will turn up.” 

Raza is confident that the future of Zimbabwe is in the right hands with the upcoming players.

“These young boys will raise the flag high. 

“You just have to sort of show faith and support them, which you did when I was coming through the ranks,” said the Zimbabwe captain.

With the series level, India received a major boost ahead of today’s third T20I match with the arrival of the T20 World Cup winning trio of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube. 

Zimbabwe remains a dangerous opponents, nonetheless, but one with clear limitations, and if they already had an arduous task ahead of them to convert 1-1 into a series win, it has only become harder. 

India will be strengthened with the arrival of three players who were part of their victorious T20 World Cup campaign: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube.

And, Zimbabwe will need to be smart about how they approach the remainder of this series.