Raza hails ‘huge achievement’ as Zimbabwe reach Super Eight

ZIMBABWE captain Sikandar Raza has hailed his side’s progression to the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as a landmark moment for the nation, describing the achievement as both humbling and deeply gratifying.

Yet, even amid the celebrations, the skipper was quick to stress that merely reaching the second phase was never the ultimate objective.

Zimbabwe secured their historic first appearance in the Super Eight of a men’s T20 World Cup after their rain-affected Group B clash against Ireland at Pallekele was abandoned.

The single point earned from the no-result proved decisive, sealing qualification and triggering scenes of pride within the camp.

“We are certainly very humbled, very grateful and very pleased at the same time,” Raza said at the post-match press conference.

“The boys are enjoying it, rightly so, but we’ve got another game in less than 48 hours, and that includes a travelling day as well.

“We’ll have a little celebration in the changing room, but once we leave, we’ve got another game to prepare for. Our focus will shift pretty quickly.

“For now, everybody’s happy, honoured and grateful – all those feelings.”
While qualification has been widely celebrated as a historic breakthrough, Raza revealed that internally the team’s ambitions stretch further than simply advancing to the Super Eight.

“The Super Eight was set by you guys as a minimum requirement – the fans, the media, the public,” he said.

“When Zimbabwe set out, we didn’t set a goal just to qualify. We’ve got other goals to achieve.
“Yes, Super Eight is clearly a tick in the box, but it’s certainly not the whole box we set out for.

“Everybody remains committed and focused on what’s still ahead.”
Zimbabwe conclude their group campaign against co-hosts Sri Lanka in Colombo on Thursday, a fixture Raza views as both an opportunity to build momentum and a final sharpening exercise before the squad shifts base to India.

“In Colombo, we had a very good game against Australia earlier. Going back there to play Sri Lanka, who are top of the table, it would be nice to try our best to win and finish the group stages as strongly as possible,” he said.

“The only game I’m looking forward to is Sri Lanka in two days’ time. After that, we’ll look at what’s to come.

“We’ve made sure we only look at one game at a time and that has served us really well.” – ZC