Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza said on Wednesday that they opted to play with eight batters as it helps their batting unit express themselves fearlessly, as he feels they need to play with the mindset of putting up over 200 runs in the shorter format of the game.

Zimbabwe won the opening game of the ongoing three-match T20I series against Bangladesh by 32 runs to take a 1-0 lead at Bulawayo.

"I feel world cricket has gone forward and I feel like Zimbabwe has been a very good 160-170 team. And I feel if we do not improve and challenge ourselves and upskill ourselves to try and get to 200, I think we'll be left behind by the rest of the world," Raza said after the game.

"So on a wicket that is 155 par, we got 171. So the reason behind eight batters is that once you are set, you take somebody down and be more fearless but be more accountable as well," he said.

"But most importantly, have that confidence that you are set and you can take down that big over, that 15-run over and then another 15-run over so that you're always ahead of par. So the whole idea of eight batters is that, one, we play a bit more fearless cricket to match the intensity of world cricket and also that we've been training and I want to see if we have upskilled ourselves as batters. So that's one of the reasons," he said.

"And two, I feel like we have very good all-rounders but we don't really get to use them as much as I want, like Milton Shumba, who bowls good left-arm spin. If he doesn't bowl, how well do we know if he's growing or if he's not growing? Ryan Burl, Dion Myers, Brian Bennett, who couldn't get a bowl today, but these are guys who can bowl overs in a T20 match. So I want to put ourselves as a country under pressure to get the job done because I feel like once we can do that there will be a bit more accountability and there will be a bit more confidence and self-belief going on about our work, whether that's bat in hand or ball in hand. That's my theory," he said.

Raza said that he was impressed with the way his three pacers bowled while adding that he is pleased to see Brad Evans contributing with the bat as he is eyeing to be an all-rounder.

"I think I'll start with Richard (Ngarava). Richard has been improving if you look at it, bar the injury where he had a little bit of a setback. And credit to him, he is not still 100% fit but he does what he has to for the country and he puts his heart on the line for the country and he goes out and does what he does game in, game out. Every time he has gone onto the park I know as a captain I'm going to get 100% from not just him but from everyone. But it's very easy to just look at Richard and not look at Blessing and Brad, who complement each other," said Sikandar.

"It could be another day where Blessing gets a four-fer and we'll be talking about Blessing but it's those three guys that work hand in hand and in tandem that make each other successful and for me that is what I'm really happy about. With Brad, I think the skill was always there with Brad and he has put in a lot of hours into his batting as well but for me what stands out is the fact that he's a lot more confident and the fact that he wants to be recognized as an all-rounder," he said.

"He (Brad) knows there is a lot of value in the world, in international cricket and also in franchise cricket, for a good all-rounder. And he has taken that upon himself and he wants to be that and I couldn't be any happier and I think he's on the right track. And I can assure you, Inshallah, his graph is going to keep going up and up and he's going to keep getting better and better," he added.

Raza added that he is happy that despite the win there is still room for improvement while urging his teammates not to look too far ahead as it can backfire. "The beauty of this game is we managed to win by 30-odd runs. And what excites me is there is still room for improvement. So that is what makes me happy and excited for the next game. I, as a captain, and the boys upstairs are looking at Friday and after Friday we'll look at Sunday and then we see where we get to," he pointed out.

"I've always said that when you start looking too far ahead you lose sight of what's right in front of you. And what's right in front of us is a day to get better tomorrow and then to showcase our skills on Friday. On Friday, regardless of the result, if I'm here I'll answer you about Sunday and then on Sunday I'll answer you about the next series," he concluded.