Zimbabwe star cricketer Sikandar Raza has made headlines several times during the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, where his side has been one of the dark horses. The African side has already defeated giants Pakistan and came close to beating Bangladesh, only to be defeated in the final moments of the match.
Sikandar Raza has been one of the stalwarts of the Zimbabwe cricket team in recent years. He registered a figure of 3/25 against Pakistan with an economy rate of 6.25, claiming important wickets of Shan Masood, Shadab Khan and Haider Ali. Raza has also been one of the most promising players for Zimbabwe, helping them make a comeback to the world stage.
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Who is Sikandar Raza?
Sikandar Raza is a Zimbabwean cricketer, who represents the country in all formats of the game. He was born on April 24, 1986, in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan to a Kashmiri family. However, the family immigrated to Zimbabwe in 2002. He received his citizenship of the African nation in 2011.
Sikandar Raza studied at Pakistan Air Force Public School Lower Topa for three years and wanted to become a pilot at the country’s Air Force. However, he failed at a vision test for selection into the force later.
Later, he studied software engineering at the Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. He used to play semi-professional cricket during his undergraduate studies and realised his potential during his stay in the country.
Raza began playing first-class cricket in Zimbabwe in 2007 for the Northerns. He made his first class debut in the same year against the Easterns. However, he joined Mashonaland Eagles later, where he also played List A cricket.
Two years later, he was selected in Zimbabwe’s preliminary squad for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, however, missed out on the final squad. He finally made his Zimbabwe debut on May 3, 2013, against Bangladesh at Bulawayo in an ODI match. He also made his T20I debut against the same opponent eight days later at the same venue. Raza made his Test debut for Zimbabwe against Pakistan in Harare on September 3, 2013.
Since his debut, Sikandar Raza has amassed 1,187 runs in 17 Test matches. He also scored 3,656 runs in 123 ODI matches and 1,185 runs in 64 T20I matches. Raza has also 34 wickets in 17 Test matches, 70 wickets in 123 ODI matches and 37 wickets in 64 T20I matches so far.
