Shai Hope:
Too much is on my mind right now, not sure if I can explain it. Lot of hurting and very disappointed but the tournament is not over yet. The aim is to play our best cricket, regardless of whoever we play. We let ourselves down int eh field and that cost us. If we were asked to chase (that score) before the game, we would have taken it. There will be challenges, both on and off the field.
We have to make sure we harden ourselves and understand what we have to do moving forward. (Wish-list moving forward) I think it is best for us to have a day off to get all of this out of our systems and come back on Monday. We know we have our work cut out. (On what went wrong) Catches, plain and simple. We always ask our bowlers to create chances and they did. And then, (we made mistakes) with the bat.
Craig Ervine:
(Fitness concern) Looks like I have picked up a little calf strain and did not want to aggravate it. (On how tough it was to not be on the field) I would rather be out in the middle than sitting in the balcony and watching the boys play. Sean Williams is a very experienced campaigner and it looked like he had everything under control all the way through.
Losing the toss and having to bat first, those 10-15 overs was quite tricky to navigate. The wicket was a little two-paced to begin with. We did well to not lose early wicket and that gave us a bit of breathing space (towards the end and in the middle overs). Raza and Burl batted brilliantly for their 100-run stand. We did feel that we were maybe 20-30 short of what would probably be a winning score.
It is always going to be tough (mentally). We have talked about treating every game and opposition the same. Today has been quite an emotional day for everybody and it is not a long time before we have to come back and play again on Monday. (On the crowd) Thank you to all the supporters who came out and supported us. The crowd was absolutely phenomenal and hopefully we can see such a crowd again.
Sikandar Raza, Player of the Match:
All I asked from the boys was fight and courage out there. As long as we are doing that, the skills will look after themselves – we are not far away from the best in the world. Our bolwing has been amazing. (On the score) I personally thought we were 20-30 runs short. But the hunger we have, to win this game and to get to India, that took care of the runs we were short of.
We always believed in them (our bowlers). We never doubted them and no better place to stand up. They are the ones who really won us that match. (On the crowd support) I don’t think so we could have won with our skills only. The crowd played a big part and we are going to do a lap of honour now.
West Indies vs Zimbabwe Highlights today, Saturday 24-6-2023. 13th Match, Group A, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier, Harare Sports Club.
Toss: West Indies chose to field.
West Indies team: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (c)†, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Roston Chase, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein.
Zimbabwe team: Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine (c), Wessly Madhevere, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Clive Madande †, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani.
Head to Head In ODI’s: 48
West Indies Won: 36
Zimbabwe Won: 10
West Indies ODI Rankings: 10th
Zimbabwe ODI Rankings: 11th
Form guide
(last five completed ODI’s, most recent first)
West Indies WWWWW
Zimbabwe WWWWL
Match Timings: 7:00 AM GMT | 9:00 AM Local
Umpires – Raveendra Wimalasiri, Sam Nogajski
TV Umpire – Roly Black
Match Referee – Muhammad Javed
Reserve Umpire – Allahudien Paleker
Match number – ODI no. 4597
