Online Reporter
CHEVRONS captain Sikandar Raza says they have come a long way to reach their current position at the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
He was speaking after Zimbabwe had qualified for the Super Eight stag after rain washed out their game against Ireland.
After their victories over Oman and Australia, Zimbabwe needed just a point to secure qualification, and with persistent rain in Pallekele, the match was abandoned without a toss.
Raza said: “I will take you back to the sub-regional qualifiers, and I stood up to my troops and said we are in this situation because of ourselves, and only we can clear this mess.
“As much as we have achieved, it is just a tick in the box and not the whole box. There will be a small celebration, but we will then focus on the next game. It is just a small tick in what we have set out to achieve.
“Qualifying has not changed our ultimate goal. Everyone loves an underdog story. Every condition we find ourselves in, if we get a day or two to train…we try and learn those conditions.
“We train, try and assess the conditions, see the previous games (at that venue), and try to put together a good game of cricket. (On the travelling fans) Whichever corner they are sitting at, they will be the loudest.
“They keep lifting us up. But when we hear them, it gives us energy. These guys have done it out of their own pockets. Hopefully, it is the start of many more fans coming in. We will try everything to raise the Zimbabwe flag high. Hopefully, the numbers will increase and hopefully this is the start of a culture of fans going wherever the team plays.”
