ZIMBABWE T20 captain Sikandar Raza has raised the glass to the team’s passionate fans for giving the Chevrons the ”energy” to clinch a Super Eight spot at the T20 World Cup 2026.
The Chevrons advanced to the Super Eight after their rain-hit clash against Ireland was abandoned, a development that knocked Australia out of the T20 World Cup 2026.
As a result of the washout, both Ireland and Zimbabwe received one point each, securing Zimbabwe’s qualification for the Super Eight stage and marking a historic achievement for the Chevrons.
Speaking after securing the Super Eight qualification, Raza, who celebrated the historic achievement along with his team mates, said the team will fight hard to make Zimbabweans proud.
“Whichever corner they (the travelling fans) 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,” Raza said.
The Chevrons skipper was, however, quick to point out that qualification for the Super Eight was only a small part of the targets they had set.
“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.
“Myself and the coach, we will sit down, we have the data on them (Sri Lanka) and we will try to win that game.
“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,” he said.
In the Super Eight, Zimbabwe, who beat Australia by 23 runs on February 13, will enter a group that also features heavyweights India, West Indies and South Africa, with the top two going through to the semi-finals.
Zimbabwe’s qualification for the Super Eight stage is particularly special as it comes two years after the country failed to qualify for the 2024 edition of the event.