SIKANDAR Raza’s career-best 87 helped Zimbabwe to a 111-run in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier B opening match played at Queens Sports Club on Monday.
Singapore won the toss and sent Zimbabwe in.
Dave Houghton’s positive cricket was on display as Zimbabwe were off to a flyer with the new opening pair of captain Craig Ervine and Regis Chakabva sharing an opening stand of 51 from 22 balls.
However, the stand was broken in the fourth over when Chakabva attempted a suicidal single but was sent back by Ervine; a direct hit by Janak Prakash found the wicketkeeper batter short of his ground.
Chakabva’s brief cameo of 24 runs from 12 balls came to a screeching end.
Wessley Madhevere, batting at three, missed out as he could only muster two runs from five balls.
Ervine continued on his merry way scoring five boundaries and two towering maximums before he top-edged a Sunil Aryaman short ball and was caught by Singapore wicketkeeper Manpreet Singh.
Ervine was dismissed for 34 from 16 balls.
At 70-3 after six overs, one could feel a bit of tension as Zimbabwe supporters were anticipating a familiar collapse. Still, it was not to be as the two senior statesmen, Raza and Sean Williams, shared a 103-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Both batsmen scored half-centuries, Raza 87(40) and Williams 53(35).
But it was Raza who took the game away from Singapore with some clean hitting towards the end. He, however, perished on the last ball of the penultimate over of Zimbabwe innings, 13 runs shy of a maiden T20I hundred.
The home side scored 236-5, their highest T20I score surpassing the 200 they scored against New Zealand.
In reply, Singapore were never in the hunt as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Tendai Chatara was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with figures of three for 14 in his four overs.
Towering seamer Blessing Muzarabani also chipped in with three for 21 in four overs.
Zimbabwe play Jersey tomorrow at the same venue.
