New Delhi, March 1 Sikandar Raza's exceptional batting performance stood out in an otherwise unremarkable batting display as South Africa limited Zimbabwe to 153 for seven in their final Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.
Zimbabwe captain Raza smashed 73 off 43 balls, while the other batsmen struggled to maintain the same momentum against the high-quality pace bowlers.
The batsmen, except Raza, attempted to attack bowlers like Kwena Maphaka, Anrich Nortje, and the in-form Lungi Ngidi, but were unsuccessful.
Maphaka and Nortje are not even part of the regular South Africa eleven, with Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj rested for the inconsequential game leading up to the semi-final against New Zealand in Kolkata.
Having performed well to reach the Super 8, Zimbabwe has found it difficult to replicate their league stage success against the stronger teams.
Raza understands what is required to consistently challenge established teams, but the team is still not there yet. Power-hitting is a crucial aspect of the shortest format, and the team needs more batsmen like Raza to put high-quality attacks under pressure.
On Sunday, openers Tadiwanashe Marumani (7) and Brian Bennett (15) started well against left-arm spinner George Linde, but were unable to maintain the pace against the pacers.
Left-handed Marumani had his leg stump rattled as he attempted to smash left-arm pacer Maphaka out of the park.
Bennett has been consistent at the top of the order, but when he tried to dispatch Anrich Nortje over mid-off, he was unable to clear the fielder.
However, Raza batted with determination after being put under pressure by Nortje on his very first ball.
He smashed Corbin Bosch for a six over deep backward square leg, and also collected a couple of fours in the sixth over, taking Zimbabwe to 45-2 in six overs.
Raza continued to hit big shots at will, while he was disappointed to see wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end.
The Zimbabwe captain demonstrated his superiority in the batting lineup by backing away from Nortje for a drive past mid-off, and then hitting a flat six over deep mid-wicket on the following ball in the eighth over.
He eventually went on to score a well-deserved half-century off 29 balls, but the supporting act never came, leaving Zimbabwe with a below-par total.
