The Zimbabwean captain achieved this milestone by reaching his fifth consecutive half-century in T20 Internationals, accomplishing the feat in just 37 balls before being dismissed for 62 off 42. Dushmantha Chameera took his wicket in the penultimate over of Zimbabwe’s innings, right after Raza had hit a six off him. Despite his commendable performance, including taking three wickets in Sri Lanka’s chase, Raza ended up on the losing side as the hosts secured a thrilling final-ball victory.
This remarkable innings marked the fifth occasion on which Raza surpassed the fifty-run mark in consecutive T20 matches. Having showcased his form in the Africa Region Qualifier for the T20 World Cup in November, Raza recorded scores of 58, 65, 82, and 65 in Zimbabwe’s final four matches of the tournament. Interestingly, he would have set the record in the preceding match had he not fallen two runs short of a half-century.
Raza now stands as the sole record-holder, surpassing players like Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, Craig Williams, Rayyan Pathan, Gustav Mckeon, and Reeza Hendricks, who previously held the record for hitting four consecutive half-centuries in men’s T20Is.
Adding to his exceptional performance, Raza also managed to take at least two wickets in each of the five matches where he scored his consecutive fifties. His best figures came against Rwanda in Windhoek, where he secured three wickets while conceding just three runs. In the realm of all T20 Internationals, Sophie Devine of New Zealand Women holds the record with six consecutive fifty-plus scores.
Zimbabwe’s upcoming T20I match is scheduled against Sri Lanka tomorrow, marking the second encounter in the three-match series.
