Harare — Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza expressed frustration over the Harare Sports Club pitch after his team suffered a 7-wicket defeat against India in the 1st T20I on Thursday, July 23. Raza said the surface was not fit for international cricket and made batting extremely difficult in the early overs due to moisture. He hopes the 2nd match will have a more balanced pitch. Match Summary After losing the toss, Zimbabwe batted first and managed only 125/7 in 20 overs. India chased the target in just 13.2 overs for the loss of 3 wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. What Sikandar Raza Said Speaking after the match, Raza questioned the playing conditions. “I don’t think this was a pitch of international standard. There should have been some morning moisture, but I didn’t expect it to last that long. The new ball kept moving, which made batting even tougher,” he said. He added that Zimbabwe couldn’t hit enough boundaries early on. “We didn’t hit many boundaries in the powerplay. Because of that the ball stayed new and the movement off the pitch kept troubling our batters.” Raza also noted the difference between the two innings. “By the time India came out to bat, the pitch had gotten much better. I hope in the next game we get a pitch where the toss doesn’t play such a big role and both teams get an equal chance.” India’s Young Pacers Shine India backed young fast bowlers Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav and debutant Ashok Sharma. Mayank and Prince, returning after 2 years, used pace and bounce to reduce Zimbabwe to 34/4 and then 64/5. Tadiwanashe Marumani and Wesley Madhevere later added useful runs to take Zimbabwe to 125. Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Record Knock Chasing 126, India got off to a flying start. 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed a record fifty off just 18 balls and made the chase one-sided. Post navigation No Messi, No Problem: Suarez & Plambeck Lead Miami Past Chicago, Ruin Lewandowski Debut
