Raza’s heroics secure series lead for Zimbabwe

ASHLEY DUBE 

Zimbabwe emerged victorious by six wickets in the third match of the T20I series against Namibia, led by an exceptional batting performance from Sikandar Raza.

Image: Zimbabwe Cricket 

After winning the toss, Namibia chose to bat first but found it a Herculean task to build a solid innings, losing key players early on.

Jan Frylinck and JP Kotze steadied the ship with some stability, with a considerable partnership of 67 runs –‘ before Frylinck was dismissed by Wessly Madhevere.

Kotze followed suit shortly after, leaving Namibia in a precarious position at 114 for 6.

However, JJ Smit’s aggressive batting in the final over helped them post a competitive total. In response, Zimbabwe’s Nick Welch started off with blistering intent but was eventually dismissed by Ben Shikongo.

Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and captain Craig Ervine added 33 runs on the scorecardv for the second wicket before Ervine was dismissed.

Raza then joined Kamunhukamwe, and their partnership of 37 runs set the stage for Raza’s brilliant half-century.

Raza’s heroics made him the third-highest run-scorer for Zimbabwe in T20Is and also surpassed Sean Williams as the most capped player in T20Is for Zimbabwe.

Despite Raza’s dismissal (52 runs off 36 balls), Zimbabwe secured victory with eight balls to spare, thanks to a six from Madhevere.

The next match of the series will take place on Sunday, followed by the final match on Monday.