Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza has revealed a pump-up from Australian great Ricky Ponting played a key role in his match-winning display against Pakistan.
Raza snared 3-25 from four overs to inspire Zimbabwe to a famous one-run win over Pakistan in yet another T20 World Cup thriller on Thursday night.
The upset result brought back memories of Zimbabwe's win over Australia in the 50-over World Cup in 1983.
Raza revealed his man-of-the-match performance in Perth was partly inspired by watching a video of Ponting enthusing about him.
"I couldn't sleep much last night. For me, this game was playing over and over again," Raza said.
"We don't get to play top nations a lot. We don't get to play under lights a lot. This is my first game in Perth.
"My body was sleeping, but my mind was constantly spinning, reading, thinking about the game.
"When I woke up a friend of mine sent me a message and he said, 'have you seen a clip on the ICC page?'
"That was Ricky Ponting talking about Zimbabwe, and in particular me.
"Listen, some of my friends and family members messaged and they had a tear in their eye. For me, I had goosebumps.
"It was one of the greats of the game talking about Zimbabwe, and in particular me.
"Not that I needed an extra kick, but if I needed one, that clip did the job for me."
An eye condition prevented Raza from realising his first dream - becoming a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force.
Raza emigrated to Zimbabwe to 2002, and he has flourished in the national set-up of his adopted country.
It led to Ponting singing Raza's praises leading into the game against Pakistan.
"He's 36 years of age, but he's playing with a more youthful exuberance than that. It looks like he's 26 again," Ponting said in the ICC video.
"He's running around in the field, enjoying himself, and leading from the front.
"Those players want that big moment, they want that stage, and when they get there, they're not going to let it slip and they're going to make sure they get the job done.
"That's what Sikandar has done so brilliantly.
"His level of maturity has gone through the roof. He stands up in pressure moments.
"He stood up in the qualifiers. He basically single-handedly got Zimbabwe into the World Cup in the first place."
Zimbabwe secured the famous win over Pakistan with a run out on the final ball of the match.
The result has left them with a real shot of making the semi-finals ahead of games against Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and India.
