TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: A party lasted for three and a half hours at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. The game between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe was very close, but the fans were not disappointed, and neither was Zimbabwe, the “underdog” in the 2026 T20 World Cup.There were approximately 30,000 Sri Lankans in each stand with drum corps cheering the co-organizers. But there are a few Zimbabwean fans who applaud, shout and dance whenever the Sri Lankan wicket falls or when the Sikandar Raza A long six sailed into the stands.
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Zimbabwe’s 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Tadiwanashe Marumani said he had never played in front of such a big crowd. “It was really loud and that was actually my first experience. It was really exciting and a little nerve-wracking. ” he told reporters at the ICC mixed zone after his team’s six-wicket win over Sri Lanka.The atmosphere must have been intimidating for the Zimbabwean cricketers but they crossed the finish line. There was little celebration after Brian Bennett’s victory.“I don’t think anyone gave us a chance to get to where we are now. To win people’s hearts and earn their respect, it’s a good position to be in,” Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said in his post-match speech.inspirational leader
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza leads the team in the T20 Cricket World Cup against Sri Lanka in Colombo. (Associated Press)
In his post-match speech, Sikandar Raza told former Zimbabwe cricketer and commentator Pommie Mbangwa that everyone loves an underdog story.Zimbabwe has already beaten two-time champions Australia and Sri Lanka in the group stages. In the Super Eights, they will compete against two-time champions West Indies, India and last year’s runners-up South Africa. Zimbabwe captain Raza described his team as underdogs but they are by no means pushovers. They are building momentum and have a captain who knows a thing or two about chasing adversity.After humiliating Sri Lanka, Raza vowed that his stand was not over yet. Reaching the Super Eights is just part of a larger goal of bringing lasting recognition to his country’s cricket.“If we can win two out of three games, who knows what will happen. Everyone loves an underdog story,” Raza said with confidence after conquering Colombo.
If we can win two out of three games, who knows what will happen. Everybody loves an underdog story
Sikandar Raza
In a career spanning nearly two decades, the 39-year-old Raza has experienced more dark days than bright ones.Raza’s journey from Sialkot, Pakistan, to Zimbabwe was anything but smooth. He took unexpected detours, including dreaming of becoming a pilot and earning a computing degree from a Glasgow university, until cricket finally took center stage when his family moved to Africa.The all-rounder, who endured some dull years in international cricket before suffering a life-threatening bone marrow infection in 2021, is now in the twilight of his career and has reinvented himself as a true globetrotter in T20 leagues across the globe.For Marumani, Raza was an inspirational figure and everyone looked up to him. “A guy like Raz that we have in our locker room, who has played all over the world and been in more franchise leagues and been in different locker rooms, I think his experience and his inspiration plays a really big role in everybody in our locker room,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s Graeme Kramer (left) celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis with captain Sikandar Raza during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, February 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe assistant coach Dion Ibrahim said the team and coaching staff performed well with Raza by their side.“He’s a global superstar. He’s up there with the greats and will go down in history as one of the greats. I’m personally delighted to be around such talented people,” he said.When coaxed about what Raza brings to the dressing room, the former player added: “He brings all these superlatives. You can say inspiration, drive, passion. But what he has always done is lead through his actions. He speaks loudly in the dressing room but people follow him because of his excellence and intensity. He is meticulous in his preparation and constantly strives to improve, and I think that is what keeps him at the level he is at.“david and goliath
India and Zimbabwe cricket teams (institutional photo)
A week later, Zimbabwe will face title favorites India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.“I think the rankings and all other metrics would say we’re the underdog and that’s totally fine. When we go into the World Cup this year we’re definitely the underdog in the group and that’s where we like it,” Ibrahim said.“The advantage of being an underdog is that we go into these games with very little pressure and most of the games are played at home, in familiar conditions for an Indian team whose format has grown stronger over time.“Our biggest challenge will be to ensure we don’t get overwhelmed by the occasion, the crowd or the atmosphere, especially when India inevitably gain momentum. Today’s win gives us confidence and it helps that we fought back many times in front of a strong Sri Lankan crowd.“In terms of preparation and planning, we are satisfied that we have ticked the right boxes. T20 is a fickle format that is usually decided within a minute or two. We just have to continue to perform at the level we know we are capable of, like we have done in the last three games,” the batting coach said.The fall and rise of Zimbabwe cricket
Zimbabwe players celebrate the wicket of Australia’s Ben Dwarshuis during the T20 World Cup cricket match. (AP/PTI)
After missing out on the last T20 USA and Caribbean World Cup, Zimbabwe was forced to participate in the sub-regional qualifiers against teams including Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles and Gambia. Defeats to Namibia and Uganda in the 2023 African finals mean the world’s 11th-ranked side become the only Test-matching nation to miss out on the 2024 event, forcing them to start over in Kenya at the bottom of the table for the next qualifying cycle.Australia, co-hosts with New Zealand, are guaranteed a spot at the 2028 T20 World Cup despite an early exit this year, the first time they have been eliminated in the group stages since 2009. In contrast, Zimbabwe have already sealed their place in 2028 by knocking out Australia and reaching the Super Eights, completing a stunning turnaround after years of slogging through the qualifying rounds.Zimbabwe’s history in major ICC events has been a roller coaster. This dates back to their first World Cup appearance in 1983, when they announced themselves on the global stage by shocking Australia by 13 runs in the nation’s first ODI.Zimbabwe’s performance in major tournaments has been very poor recently. They failed to qualify for the 2019 10-team ODI World Cup in England for the first time in 36 years after losing to the UAE in the global qualifiers at home. The setbacks continued as they were suspended by the ICC due to government interference, missed the 2021 T20 World Cup, and then failed again in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers in India after losing at home to Sri Lanka and Scotland.
Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan by one run in the 2022 T20 World Cup. (Ministry of Public Transport)
There were brief highs. Zimbabwe reached the Super Eights stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup for the first time and beat Pakistan by one run in Perth. But a shocking five-match defeat to Uganda in 2023 hit a new low. Sikandar Raza later said the humiliation triggered a change in mentality that set Zimbabwe on a new path, leading to their best performance in a major tournament since defeats against India and South Africa in 1999.“I remember when we were told we had to play in sub-regional qualifier B in Kenya,” Raza said after his team beat Ireland on Tuesday to clinch a spot in the Super Eights.“I remember sitting down with the players and saying, either we feel sorry for ourselves and be ashamed of ourselves, or we understand the reality. The reality is that we are in this mess because of ourselves and only we can get out of it. We come together and work towards a single goal, which is to win qualifying, get to the World Cup and then write our own history and story.“We all sat down and made a plan. Along the way, we knew we were going to have bad games and get a lot of criticism. But if we stick to our plan, continue to trust each other, and create a better culture and environment for the team to thrive, we’ll be fine. It’s certainly very satisfying to see the results after almost two years.”
