Zimbabwe: Why one Mustn’t Take Sikandar Raza any lightly for the IPL 2023
Sikandar Raza: It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that eight in ten, or maybe, nine would say the names of Kohli, Rohit or Maxwell when asked about key players.
Sikandar Raza: It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that eight in ten, or maybe, nine would say the names of Kohli, Rohit and Maxwell when asked about key players they are following in this IPL.
Besides being an amazing and captivating sport, Cricket is a sphere in which talent isn’t alone a determiner of success; at times hype too plays a part.
Virat Kohli and Maxwell, Pooran and de Kock, Warner and Buttler, Shami and Sam Curran are world class and nothing can take that away from these stars.
But are they the only ones who are contesting in the IPL 2023, an elite stage also considered the mother of Cricketing battles?
Maybe many won’t believe it yet or will likely in a few days’ time, hopefully, but the IPL 2023 is as much as tournament of the big names as it’ll be that of a Joshua Little, Tristan Stubbs, Nicholas Pooran, David Wiese, Mayers, and that man called Raza.
Sikandar Raza.
Born in Pakistan, desiring to be a world class aviator before moving to Zimbabwe and having made a name for himself since then in corridors wherever cricket is looked as more than just a sport, it’s true that this sport is more when seen from the eyes of Sikandar Raza.
It may then seem a leveler of life.
For someone who did think that his best skills lay in the realm of the air force, Sikandar Raza hits sixes that talk to the winds.
For someone who was once perhaps thought of as just a batsman who could both rescue and accelerate, Sikandar Raza is an all rounder today.
While we, the conscientious fans to whom the sport is not just about the regular headliners, speak of Raza’s daring batting exploits, truth is, the right hander has 132 international scalps against his name.
While we remain in admiration, as we must, of his white-ball exploits, truth also is that Sikandar Raza took little time to showcase his might in the Test arena, where upon his debut, back in 2013, he scored 60 against a Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal-led attack.
While much of Zimbabwe has, over the decade, been about controversy and tumult, it is thanks to the likes of Sikandar Raza, as also Blessing Muzarabani, Ryan Burl and Craig Ervine that the heavily bashed side has seen bright days.
In 2022 alone, Sikandar Raza has shown and immensely so that he’s not just a fine player in the longest form but an adaptable force that thrives under pressure in white-ball cricket.
So how’s that?
He stroked (not fired) 3 of his 6 ODI tons in 2022 alone, including centuries against Bangladesh and India, twin sub-continental forces that are spruced by redoubtable bowling.
Moreover, 516 of his 1040 T20I runs have come in just fifteen outings this year, which included a personal best of 87 against Singapore, a knock that was bellied by a strike rate of well over 200.
In a year where Zimbabwe, thanks to some the usually strange scheduling by the venerable ICC, weren’t up against an Australia, Windies, England and sides of that caliber, Raza did what he could in whatever opportunities that came his way.
If it was a contest against Namibia, Afghanistan, even the United States and Jersey, Sikandar Raza was on the money.
Not only is he a true proponent of passionate cricket, instead of playing the sport loud, Sikandar Raza gives it his everything to the team’s cause.
Never distant or lost in a crowd and never afraid to hold his own place in it!
That’s just that the incredibly fit athlete whose heart beats for cricket as that of a child for candy will want to do Down Under: create fireworks that go upwards and forwards for his beloved Zimbabwe!
Final Score: Zimbabwe 174/7 (20) beat Ireland 143/9 (20) by 31 runs
— ZimLive (@zimlive) October 17, 2022
Sikandar Raza’s 82 set the foundation for Zimbabwe’s well-earned victory in their first Group B match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers on Monday. Zimbabwe meet West Indies and Scotland next pic.twitter.com/I0VgqfPOxV
Latest News Trending on Google
“Sikandar Raza smashed 82 off 48 balls to set up a convincing 31-run victory for Zimbabwe in their opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup against Ireland on Monday.”
Player Profile Sikandar Raza Zimbabwe
- #
- PBKS20
- Name
- Sikandar Raza
- Nationality
- —
- Position
- All-Rounder
- Current Team
- PBKS
- Leagues
- International League T20 (ILT20), Indian Premier League, Lanka Premier League (LPL), PSL 8, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 Australia, Abu Dhabi T10 League
- Seasons
- 2023, 2022
- Birthday
- October 17, 2022
- Age
- 0
