“Devastated, hurt, broken” – Sikandar Raza shares heart-wrenching tweet after Zimbabwe fail to qualify for 2023 ODI World Cup 

Zimbabwe's star all-rounder Sikandar Raza shared an emotional message on social media after his side crashed out of the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifiers. The ICC event is scheduled to be played in India from October 5 to November 19.

Zimbabwe lost back-to-back games against Sri Lanka and Scotland by nine wickets and 31 runs, respectively, in their last two WC Qualifier Super Six games. Thus, they crashed out of the race for the top two in the points table, leading to their elimination.

The devastating results emotionally shattered the fans since the hosts won all four group-stage games.

Raza, in particular, looked extremely disappointed in the dressing room as the entire team looked hurt in a clip that captured the raw sentiments of the players and the home crowd.

Raza tweeted:

"Devastated, hurt, broken, shattered, in pain and there are so many words that describes what we #Chevrons are feeling right now. We are sorry that we couldn’t get the job done and made the dream a reality, and I think it’s only natural to feel all those emotions."

The 37-year-old all-rounder continued:

“I am incredibly proud of this team and how far we have come in a year I am so proud of how we wore our heart on the sleeves. I am incredibly proud of our fans for making us believe and giving us so much love & respect I am so proud how far we have come as an organization.”

It's worth noting that Raza finished with 325 runs and scalped nine wickets in seven games during the qualifiers. Meanwhile, Sean Williams amassed 600 runs and Richard Ngarava scalped 14 wickets for Zimbabwe in the 50-over tournament.

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Sri Lanka and Netherlands qualify for the 2023 World Cup

Sri Lanka, who won the 1996 World Cup, became the first team to qualify for the 2023 ODI WC. The Dasun Shanaka-led side are yet to lose a game in the group stage and Super Six. They will play against West Indies in their last WC Qualifier on Friday, July 7.

Meanwhile, Scott Edward's Netherlands beat Scotland by four wickets in their last game to qualify for the tournament.

Zimbabwe had an outside chance of qualifying for the World Cup, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) has reduced the number of participating teams to just 10 for the upcoming ODI World Cup.

It remains uncertain whether Raza, 37, will participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The first two teams will automatically qualify as co-hosts for the 50-over tournament.