‘Some things hurt’: Zimbabwe captain criticizes players’ ‘complacency’ after series loss as Afghanistan go 5 for 4 to score 221

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza was disappointed by what he called “complacency” among his teammates after his team lost to Afghanistan by 19 runs in the second T20I in Sharjah on Thursday. The loss also handed Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Raza said his biggest concern was the attitude of some players after Zimbabwe reduced Afghanistan to 5 for 4 in the fourth match. He felt that the team was taking the opposition lightly at that stage, assuming that Afghanistan would struggle to field a large number.“For me, before I go into too much detail (about the match) – and I will deal with it on the bench – the most difficult thing to swallow was the complacency I saw from some of the guys,” Raza said after the match.The Zimbabwe captain was particularly unhappy that some players believed Afghanistan could only manage 130 or 140 runs after losing four early wickets. He said the team must stay focused and remember that the match is not over till the final ball.“(At 5 on 4) some of the guys probably thought it would be – 130, 140 max – at the end of 20 overs. Some of the things I saw on the ground today definitely hurt me and I’ll deal with it in the dressing room because, listen, it can happen, but I think you never have to be very mentally strong there, we still have an end and let’s say it’s game over.” and I’ll be the guy to get the job done’.“Before I break down the batting game or the bowling game, I think that’s something I felt in the middle today and it’s something that needs to be addressed, not to take this game for granted because it can bite back and today is a great example.”Zimbabwe also kept Afghanistan to 45 for 5 at mid-innings. However, Azmatullah Omarzai’s 116 off 50 balls and Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai’s 52 off 27 deliveries helped Afghanistan recover to post 221 for 7.Raza then led Zimbabwe’s fightback with an unbeaten 106 off 56 balls, but his efforts were not enough to prevent defeat. He said he struggled to keep his emotions in check while batting after being unhappy with the team’s approach in the first innings.“When you’re chasing 222, the biggest thing for me was trying to keep my emotions under control because the way we conducted ourselves in the first innings hurt me,” Raza said. “So when we went out to bat, for me it was about trying to win the game from any position. That was our motto and I was just calculating in my head how best I can go about my business and hopefully the other batsmen will come in so we can win the game.”“Until the last two overs (when they needed 46 from 12) we were trying to win the game, but yeah, I think we kept too much.Raza also said he would discuss the issue with his teammates in the dressing room, making it clear that his message would be stronger than what he said publicly.

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