After missing out on the 2024 T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe have returned strongly, securing wins over Oman and Australia, while their match against Ireland was abandoned due to rain. Finishing second in Group B with five points, they are set to face Sri Lanka national cricket team in their final group-stage match before taking on West Indies, India, and South Africa in the Super Eight.
“When Zimbabwe set out our goal wasn’t just to qualify. We’ve got other goals to achieve and we remain focused for that. Yes, the Super Eights is a tick in the box, but it’s certainly not the whole box,” Raza told ESPNcricinfo.
Raza emphasized that the team’s broader aim is to restore respect for Zimbabwe through their performances, noting that the past no longer matters and that the current squad is determined to showcase its full potential.
“One of the goals we set out to achieve was certainly that we’re going to bring more recognition and respect to our country. Whatever has happened in the past has happened, but this group of boys and the way we have been together for a long time and the way we have gone about our business with utmost honesty and integrity towards the game itself and to each other in the changing room – that was one of the things we set out for,” he added.
Raza reflected on the growing attention and respect Zimbabwe is earning in cricket circles:
“To see now you guys (media) and everybody else putting Zimbabwe in a very respectable place and taking notice of our country is certainly very humbling and pleasing. It’s one of the boxes we wanted to tick as well, and hopefully, we can keep writing our own history. The next time people talk about Zimbabwe in cricket, they show a bit more respect. That will be nice.”
Zimbabwe’s determined approach signals that their journey in the T20 World Cup 2026 is far from over, with bigger ambitions beyond simply reaching the Super Eight stage.
