Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza, center, with teammates leaves the ground after Sri Lanka’s inning during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)

Captain Sikandar Raza said the strong group-stage run by the Zimbabwe at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has earned them respect, and he hopes the team can continue its run in the Super Eights against stronger opponents.Zimbabwe signalled their ability to challenge top teams by defeating Australia and Sri Lanka in Group B matches.“We keep our sights forward. If I keep our eyes on the present…I don’t think anyone gave us a chance. To win everyone’s hearts and respect, it is a good position to be in,” Raza said in the post-match presentation after his team’s win over SL.Zimbabwe now move into the Super Eights, where they will face reigning champions India, two-time champions West Indies cricket team, and 2024 finalists South Africa.But Raza said his side is not intimidated.Also read: Sikandar roars in Colombo: Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka, fire warning shot at India
“We take one game at a time. We arrive on the 21st, and then train on the 22nd, and then it is show-time. Whatever happens, happens. If we can win two out of three games, who knows what can happen. Everyone loves an underdog story,” Raza added.Reflecting on the win over Sri Lanka, Raza said the hosts fell short of a defendable total.“When we lost the toss, all I said to the boys was if we are truly playing good cricket, why does the toss matter? I bowled, and said finger-spinners are not finding a lot of turn, so we can put them under pressure.“I came into the changing room and said they were 10 runs short (at the break). We have trained for every situation. We have the right personnel to send in at the right time. We have got all those roles clear and that is why you see the confidence in the changing room,” he said.For now, Raza said he wants to enjoy the team’s progress into the Super Eights.“We are unbeaten so far, but it is only the next game that comes into my head. Nice position to be in as a captain but I will try and enjoy at least tonight,” he said.

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe (Agency Image)

Although qualification permutations are no longer in play with the Super Eights line-up already confirmed, there is still plenty at stake when Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe face off in Colombo. Both sides remain unbeaten in the group stage, and this fixture offers a timely dress rehearsal before the next phase of the tournament.For context, one of these teams failed to progress to the Super Eights in the 2024 edition, while the other did not even make it to that tournament. By that measure alone, this campaign marks clear progress for both outfits. However, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza made it clear after the washed-out clash against Ireland that merely reaching the Super Eights will not satisfy his team.Zimbabwe have already made headlines by knocking Australia out early and will aim to carry that momentum forward when they travel to India for the next round. With two strong victories built on collective performances across batting, bowling and fielding, another win — especially against the co-hosts — would significantly boost their confidence and potentially secure a top finish in Group B.Standing in their way is a Sri Lankan side brimming with form. They are coming off one of their most dominant T20 World Cup victories in recent memory. Pathum Nissanka delivered what many consider the innings of the tournament so far, Kusal Mendis has been in outstanding touch, and Pavan Rathnayake has emerged as an unexpected but effective presence at No. 4.Injuries, however, have tested Sri Lanka’s depth. Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out of the competition, adding to the earlier loss of Wanindu Hasaranga. As co-hosts, they will be eager to avoid further setbacks while maintaining their rhythm heading into the Super Eights.

Today T20 World Cup matches – Thursday, 19 February

Image credit: Zimbabwe Cricket

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza stressed that reaching the Super 8s was only one milestone in a much bigger journey after his side progressed to the next stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 following a rain-hit fixture against Ireland at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday.The abandoned match earned both teams a point each, taking Zimbabwe to five points in Group B and ending Australia’s hopes of advancing.

“The fact that we’ve qualified for the Super 8s hasn’t changed the ultimate goal that we set out for. Like I said, it’s just a tick in the box, but we have a lot of other goals to achieve and everybody loves an underdog story, don’t they?” Raza said.He reflected on Zimbabwe’s long qualification route, including the sub-regional stage featuring Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.“I’ll take you back when we played the sub-regional qualifiers B, and we played the Kenya, the Rwanda, Tanzania, and all those teams. And I remember I stood up to my troops and I said, we are in this position or in this mess, as you want to call it, because of us. There’s no one else to blame. And only us that would get this mess clear and only us can get it out of it. So what are we gonna do about it? And we won the qualifiers B, regional sub-regional B, then the main qualifiers happened. We won that as well,” he said.Zimbabwe now enter a challenging Super 8 group alongside defending champions India, 2024 runners-up South Africa and two-time winners West Indies, needing a top-two finish to make the semi-finals.“Yeah, certainly so. Myself and the coach will sit down. We watched Sri Lanka in the last three games as well. We’re going to have the data on them and we try and put our best foot forward and try and win that game. That is the whole point of us being here,” Raza said of their preparation.“I think every condition we find ourselves in, if we can find a day or two to train, I think we’ll sum up the conditions really well and hopefully make those plans. One thing you can’t fight is the weather and conditions. So we try and learn those conditions if we can have two, three training days in a particular city, wherever we’re going to.”Before the Super 8s begin, Zimbabwe will take on co-hosts Sri Lanka in their final group-stage match at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.