ADELAIDE, Australia — Zimbabwe coach
Dave Houghton said on Wednesday that his side’s T20 World Cup exploits had “brought
the game back to life” at home after some lean years for cricket fans in the
African nation.
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Zimbabwe were all but knocked out after losing to
the Netherlands in Adelaide on Wednesday, but not before rekindling the
country’s love for the game with a thrilling one-run win over Asian giants
Pakistan.
Before that, Houghton’s young team had romped into
the Super 12 with victories over Scotland and Ireland.
“It has meant a hell of a lot not just to people at
home but
Zimbabweans around the world,” Houghton told reporters after his team
lost by five wickets to the Dutch in Group 2 at the Adelaide Oval. “The
messages that we get on a regular basis from everybody have been unbelievable.”
“We’ve had quite a few night games in this
tournament and when I get back to the hotel I’m still answering messages at
four, five in the morning,” he said. “It’s been phenomenal.”
He praised his young side for the fearless way they
play, but admitted their batting was an area to work on.
“We’ve been quite fragile with our batting
throughout this tournament and it’s been our bowling, fielding, catching that’s
kept us in it,” said Houghton.
“Unfortunately, it’s slowed us down in a game like
this,” he said.
They were all out for a below-par 117 against the
Netherlands on Wednesday to follow an agonizing defeat to Bangladesh by three
runs.
If Zimbabwe had won
either of those games it would have kept them in with an outside chance of a
semi-final place before their final match against India on Sunday.
“It would have been huge if we’d won it for us
because we would go on to that game with just the possibility,” said Houghton.
“But since I’ve been in charge the last four and a half months, we’ve had an
incredible journey.”
“We’ve played some really good cricket and this is
probably the first time that I’ve seen a bit of doubt creep into our game,” he
said. “So hopefully, it’ll be the last time for a while as well.”
Houghton said he received messages telling him his
side’s performances had brought smiles to Zimbabweans at home and around the
world.
“They’ve enjoyed the fact that we are able to come
out and stand toe-to-toe with some of the best and even though we have lost
today, they will still have enjoyed watching us and they’ll still be proud of
us,” said Houghton.
“So you know I said to the guys after the game: ‘You
guys have brought the game back to life in Zimbabwe’.”
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