Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine appreciated the excellent showing of his bowlers, who defended a low total to secure a thrilling one-run victory over Pakistan after the batters failed to put up a big score in Thursday's T20 World Cup Super 12 match in Perth.
He was all praise for Pakistan-born all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who turned the match on its head in the middle overs, taking three for 25 from his four overs, which included the wickets of Shan Masood (44), Shahdab Khan (17) and Haider Ali.
"I thought... after our batting performance we thought we were maybe 20-25 short, but I thought our seamers hit their straps early on. (Sikandar) Raza again came to the party as he always does and picked up a few crucial wickets in the middle there," said Ervine.
He said Tuesday's victory was special as the team put in lots of hard work to make the Super 12s.
Sharing how his team wanted to compete with the best, he said, "So special, especially for the work we did in order to get into the Super 12s. We did not want our tournament to end there. We wanted to come in and play some outstanding cricket against the top teams and we did that exceptionally well today.
"I think he's (Raza) got three Man of the Matches, so I'm gonna be broke by the time we get home.
"Also, I want to thank the Zimbabwean supporters that came out today to support us. You guys really lift our spirits wherever we go, so special thanks."
Pakistan's over-dependency on their openers came back to haunt them.
They made a mess of a paltry chase, suffering a batting collapse as Raza took three wickets in a short span to dismantle the chase.
Earlier, the Pakistani bowlers unleashed hell upon Zimbabwe's batting, restricting them to just 130 for 8.
Pakistan's decision to play an extra pacer in Mohammad Wasim Jr worked wonders for the team as the youngster ended up with his best T20I bowling figures (4/24).
Sean Williams and Brad Evans helped Zimbabwe cross the 100-run mark.
