‘Our attitude on the pitch is still a grey area’: ZIM captain Raza says his team ‘continues to make a lot of mistakes’

Zimbabwe team led by Sikandar Raza on Sunday lost the fifth T20I to India by 42 runs in Harare. Despite going 1-0 up with a 13-run win in the opening match, the hosts crashed out in the series 4-1. After losing the final encounter, Zimbabwe captain Raza said the team has to rectify their issues at the top of the order with the bat, adding that on-field attitude is also a grey area that they need to work on going forward.

“I think Blessing (Muzarabani) played well throughout the series. Batting-wise, we are still below par but we are starting to correct the issues at the top. We are going to have bad games here and there. The grey area for me will continue to be our attitude on the field, we continue to make a lot of mistakes but that is controllable, we are going to keep working hard and hopefully we will keep improving,” Raza said after the match ended.

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“It was a shame that Richie (Ngarava) was not fit at the start of the series. If he had been declared fit, he would have played every game. Having him fit is definitely a blessing because we all know his quality. Having Richie and Blessing… every time I was in trouble I looked up to them and they did the job for the team. I am very happy for those two lads,” he added.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play a one-off Test match against Ireland later this month but Raza may not take part, citing a lack of practice in red-ball cricket.

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“I have to manage my workload. I haven’t played any four-day cricket in the last two years after my operations. My shoulder is not 100%, I don’t want to be a guy who just puts on a jersey.”

“I have to come back, respect my local cricket and also respect my local cricketers who have made a lot of runs. I will be back to play local cricket and test my own fitness. I am still available for Test match cricket but I am not available at the moment because I have not played much four-day cricket. I will be off to Manchester for The Hundred in a few days, I am looking forward to that,” he concluded.

“I have to manage my workload. I haven’t played any four-day cricket in the last two years after my operations. My shoulder is not 100%, I don’t want to be a guy who just puts on a jersey.”

“I have to come back, respect my local cricket and also respect my local players who have made a lot of runs. I will be back to play local cricket and test my own fitness. I am still available for Test matches but I am not available at the moment because I have not played much four-day cricket. I will be off to Manchester for The Hundred in a few days, I am looking forward to that,” he concluded.