Raza hails 'unity and culture of the team' after Zimbabwe's hard-fought win

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has praised his team for grinding it out in the ODI tri-series opener in Abu Dhabi, and for being "brave" despite being 24 for 3 early on. Zimbabwe eventually posted 271 for 8 with half-centuries from Brendan Taylor (81) and Craig Ervine (93) before they bundled Bangladesh out for 172 for a 99-run win. Raza emphasised that it was not an "easy win".

Raza also credited his bowlers Wellington Masakadza and Newman Nyamhuri for pulling things back after Bangladesh were off to a strong start in the chase.

"We were three down in the first ten overs," Raza said, "It was tough at that time. But credit to Craig Ervine, credit to BT (Brendan Taylor), the way they held the innings together, and then credit to Wellington and Newman, the way they finished the game. I don't think it was an easy win. If you look at Bangladesh, when they came out to bat as well, Tanzid [Hasan] had a great start. He was running away with the game as well. They were maybe 96 for 2 [91 for 3] after 15 overs. They were way ahead of the game at that point, so I wouldn't say it was an easy game, but I think the way we fought in batting and bowling certainly made it slightly easier than it should have been.

"There is no easy game, there is no easy win. There was a time when Bangladesh probably beat us out of eight games maybe six times, and I'm sure they would say the same thing that it wasn't easy. So the fact that we have won three out of the last four ODIs does not mean it's easy. Brother, it's international cricket, no win comes easy, and I would not disrespect Bangladesh or for that matter any other country by calling it an easy win. We fought well, we understood the conditions well, we adapt well, and I think that's the reason why we won the game."

Raza praised the sporting nature of the Abu Dhabi pitch, as it offered something for each skillset. He felt it had been crucial for Zimbabwe's batting pairs to understand the nature of the pitch and give themselves enough time to settle even when early wickets were down. The experienced duo of Taylor and Ervine put together a stand of 150 that set the platform for a strong score.

"If you have played enough cricket here and if you look at the data, you will know that Abu Dhabi offers something for everyone," Raza said. "Abu Dhabi wicket will have seam movement for the seamers, there will be a period where batters will score runs, then there will be a period where it starts to turn, slow turn, and then there is a period when it gets flat again. So anybody who is willing to grind out there for a bit longer and ride during the tough times, the easy-period Abu Dhabi always comes.

"So I thought that's where we got it right where we rode our luck, we grinded, we were brave that even after three down, we held ourselves back a little bit and we did the right things. We had a few extra dots, but the partnership they were building, they had a plan, and then it got easier to bat on, and then suddenly there were a couple of wickets quickly. So Abu Dhabi wicket has everything for everyone."

Raza reiterated that Zimbabwe are having a good year on the back of greater unity and improved culture within the team environment. He said the players believed in each other's ability, and most have taken up responsibilities in different stages to pull the team towards winning positions.

"Our strength lies within our unity and the culture of the team," he said. "We have utmost faith and belief in everyone's ability. When we have ball in hand, we know everybody who's got a ball in hand can get the job done. When we have bat in hand, regardless of any position, we can win the game from any position. I think if I have to sum it up, Zimbabwe's strength lies as much as all the boys are very skillful, but I think our strength lies in the unity and the culture we have."