Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza says a clip of Australia great Ricky Ponting praising his form helped give him a "little push" to stun Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
Raza, who was born in Pakistan, delivered a man-of-the-match performance with a three-wicket haul and a run-out to turn the tide in his side's favour for a shock one-run win in Perth.
The 36-year-old has been in excellent form this year, catching the eye of Ponting, who drew comparison to his former Australia team-mates Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.
Speaking after Zimbabwe's dramatic victory on Thursday, Raza - who recorded figures of 3-25 - admitted the video clip, shown to him before the game, provided a little extra motivation to help his side record a famous upset.
"I know there was a small clip that was sent to me this morning, and it was Ricky Ponting having a small word," he stated. "I was excited. I was nervous.
"I was thrilled about today. Motivation was always there, but if I needed that little push, I thought that clip did a wonder this morning. So thank you very much to Ricky as well."
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, meanwhile, professed his frustration at his side's performance, but vowed they would deliver a response in their next Super 12 match against Netherlands.
"We were not up to the mark in the batting," he acknowledged. "We had a bad first six overs. Later on we finished well. We'll sit together and learn from our mistakes and come back hard next match."
Pakistan remain without a point after two defeats in Group 2 of the Super 12, while Zimbabwe have three points following their washout draw against South Africa.
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