WATCH HIGHLIGHTS! Sikandar Raza stars in Zimbabwe's 31-run victory over Ireland in T20 WC opener

Zimbabwe vs Ireland - two evenly matches sides but it was the African nation that emerged victorious at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

Having lost the toss, Zimbabwe also lost 3 wickets inside the powerplay. But Sikandar Raza resurrected the African side with a counterattacking knock. Even as there were wickets falling at the other end, Raza looked unstoppable.

His sensational 82 off 48 balls put Zimbabwe in a pole position.

Chasing a formidable 175, Ireland got off to the worst start possible. The big-hitting Paul Stirling perished for a duck and then there was a procession. At 22/4, the game was all but over for the Irish.

While a few batters did get starts, none of them could kick on, and eventually, they finished with 143/9 from their 20 overs, losing their T20 World Cup opener by 31 runs.