Sikandar Raza Slams ‘Fake Statement’: ‘Not Sure What They Get Out Of This’ After T20 World Cup Victory Over Australia

Zimbabwean cricket captain Sikandar Raza has slammed a “fake statement” circulating on social media, expressing bewilderment at those spreading lies following his team’s sensational T20 World Cup victory over Australia on Saturday.

The veteran all-rounder took to X to issue a furious denial after a fabricated quote attributed to him went viral, forcing him to set the record straight amid the celebrations of one of Zimbabwe’s greatest sporting triumphs.

The Fabricated Quote Traced To Cricket Central

The controversy erupted when a social media account, Cricket Central, posted a statement falsely attributed to Raza following Zimbabwe’s stunning win over the 2021 champions. The post, which has since been made unavailable, allegedly quoted the skipper making inflammatory remarks about pre-match treatment from the Australian team.

The now-deleted post on X read:

“BIG STATEMENT BY SIKANDAR RAZA ON AUSTRALIA ‘Australia had teased us a lot before the match by calling us a small team, but instead of answering them verbally, we have answered them with our game.’”

The fabricated quote quickly gained traction, racking up thousands of views before Raza himself spotted it and moved to correct the record with a sharp rebuke.

Taking to his official X account on Saturday morning, the 39-year-old reposted the misleading post and delivered an impassioned response. He made it crystal clear that while Zimbabwe’s performance on the pitch spoke volumes, the words being attributed to him were entirely manufactured.

“ FAKE STATEMENT. I am not sure why people would spread lies and fake news, not sure what they get out of this. Never said anything like this,” Raza wrote, his statement amassing over 176,000 views within hours.

The Zimbabwe captain was forced to publicly distance himself from comments he never made. The original source of the fake quote, Cricket Central, has since rendered the post unavailable, but not before the damage was done.

What Raza Actually Said After Historic Win

While Raza did not take any verbal jab at the Australians, he was overflowing with praise for his team’s discipline and execution following their emphatic 23-run victory at the T20 World Cup.

Speaking on the official broadcast and quoted by ESPNcricinfo, the skipper focused entirely on his squad’s performance and the culture they have built, rather than taunting the opposition.

Following the match, in which Zimbabwe successfully defended 169 for 2, Raza shared his immediate thoughts on their strategic approach.

“The culture, environment, and unity we’ve created is amazing and on top of that, to win is unbelievable. 70-odd at 10 overs and I was happy and we discussed that we don’t want to go for 190. We try to go for 190, we are 140 all out,” Raza explained during the post-match analysis.

The captain was keen to keep his team’s feet firmly on the ground despite the historic scalp, which included a stunning bowling display where Blessing Muzarabani returned figures of 4 for 17. Raza warned that the victory, while sweet, means nothing if they fail to maintain their focus in the remaining group games.

“The boys deserve to enjoy today. If we keep the same processes, and take it one game at a time [it’ll be good]. We are in a great position, but it doesn’t mean anything. So the next game is now the most important one,” he added.

The victory, achieved by bowling Australia out for just 146, has propelled Zimbabwe to second place in Group B. They will play their remaining two group-stage fixtures against Ireland on February 17 and Sri Lanka on February 19, with the captain insisting the tournament journey is far from over.