Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza gave a direct response to a question he felt was unrelated during a press conference in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, ahead of the T20I tri-series also featuring Pakistan and Sri Lanka. His exchange with a Pakistani reporter has spread widely on social media.Raza was speaking to the media a day before the opening match of the tournament between Pakistan and Zimbabwe. During the interaction, a reporter tried to involve him in an online debate by asking him to rank the best T20 teams in Asia and whether Zimbabwe were facing the first, second or third-best Asian side in the tri-series.The exchange went as follows:“There is a debate going on social media. I need an honest opinion from you. Who is the second-best and best T20 team in Asia? From Sikandar’s point of view, is Zimbabwe playing the second-best or the third-best Asian teams in this tri-series,” the reporter asked.Raza replied, “Since I am in a national jersey, all I will tell you is that Zimbabwe is the second-best team in Africa. I don’t care who the first or second-best team in Asia is. I’ll address that when I am not in national jersey. Right now, my focus is on my team. This is a press conference for a Zimbabwe captain, so I should answer questions about Zimbabwe. I personally don’t care who the first, second, third or fourth-best team in Asia. We’re the second-best team in Africa, and we’re looking to build on that. We’re trying to challenge the best team in Africa, which is South Africa.”Raza also reacted to a question about whether Zimbabwe reaching the final of the tri-series would be seen as an upset.“It might be an upset for you. I can read the room. Maybe you people are not giving us too much of a chance,” he said.Pakistan secured a hard-fought five-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the opening match of the T20I Tri-Series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but not before they faced scares in both innings.Pakistan, chasing a modest 148, were put under pressure on multiple occasions but key contributions from Fakhar Zaman (44), Usman Khan (37*) and Mohammad Nawaz (21) made sure that the hosts got over the line with four balls remaining.
