Hopefully We Will Get More Support From Our People, Says Solomon Mire After Historic Win Over Sri Lanka

Jul 2, 2017 at 11:16 AM

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Hopefully We Will Get More Support From Our People, Says Solomon Mire After Historic Win Over Sri Lanka

After guiding Zimbabwe to a historic win over Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe star Solomon Mire has said the win has given new hope for the fans of his country.After guiding Zimbabwe to a historic win over Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe star Solomon Mire has said the win has given new hope for the fans of his country.

Ranked eleventh in the ODI rankings, Zimbabwe walked into the match as underdogs and after the hosts put up a formidable total of 316, the match looked as good as over for the visitors. However, a magnificent century from Mire (112) and half-centuries from Sean Williams (65) and Sikandar Raza (67 not out) not only helped Zimbabwe to register their maiden ODI victory in Sri Lanka but also made them the first team to chase down a target in excess of 300 on the island.

Read More: (Zimbabwe stunned Sri Lanka in epic run-chase)

“It was a special knock and very satisfying considering it was such a huge win for us. We have beaten Sri Lanka here for the first time so I am happy that I contributed,” Mire told journalists.

Zimbabwe’s cricket has seen a steady decline in the last decade and Mire feels the monumental win will give the fans hope.

“It’s such a huge thing for Zimbabwe cricket to be able to win against a top-ranked team like Sri Lanka because it just gives hope for the fans and the people who are following the team. Hopefully, we will get more support from our people back home and all around the world as well,” Mire said.

Mire further said the humid conditions were tough for his teammates who had arrived in Sri Lanka just three days before the commencement of the series. Before that, they were in Europe where they were involved in a bilateral series against Scotland and Holland.

“It was pretty tough and I was cramping up half-way through. I tried to keep my fluids up drinking and rehydrating but it is something that takes a bit of time to get used to. Hopefully going forward we will be better prepared for the heat,” remarked Mire.

Speaking on the record-breaking partnership with Sean Williams, he said:

“We just tried to bat for as long as possible. Our aim was to take it as deep as possible and not really worry about the run rate.”

Mire and Williams now hold the record of highest third-wicket partnership for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka after adding 161 runs. The previous best was held by the Andy Flower and Grant Flower when they had shared a 145-run partnership in 1998.

One of the features of Mire’s innings was the use of sweep and reverse sweep. That played a part in making the Sri Lankan attack quite ineffective, as Angelo Mathews was left with fewer options after seeing his spinners struggle.

“Coming into this series, we were sort of preparing to have those options for us to use because we were thinking the wickets might be a bit challenging. So we needed those options. The fact that it worked today is something that we would try and continue utilising,” Mire explained.

The second of the five-match ODI series will be played on Sunday (July 2) at Galle.

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