Close Menu
Cultural

Sikandar Raza: The Pakistani-born cricketer who rules the hearts of Zimbabwe | Cricket

adminBy No Comments9 Mins Read


Harare, Zimbabwe – Sikandar Raza, the Pakistan-born cricketer from Zimbabwe, has been on a fairytale run since 2022.

The 37-year-old has been nominated for the ICC Twenty20 International Player of the Year award for the second consecutive time, as well as becoming the first player to score a T20 International (T20I) half-century in five consecutive matches.

Since January 2022, Raza has scored around 2,500 runs, including four centuries in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and an average of over 40 in T20Is. He also took 71 wickets in the same period.

Raza has almost single-handedly reignited interest in cricket in Zimbabwe and is arguably the most admired sportsman in his adopted home country, where football reigns supreme.

It's not just the numbers that praise him. The excitement of the crowds at sold-out international cricket matches in Zimbabwe over the past two years completes the story.

'Monya' – A popular hymn originally composed for the revered former captain of Zimbabwe's biggest football club, has now become Raza's sung anthem. Former Dynamos FC captain Mulape Mulape's nickname will be replaced by 'Raza' as a special performance echoes through the Harare or Bulawayo cricket stadiums.

The rest of the lyrics of this simple song remain the same, with their heroes not only being amazing, but also as if their whole body is covered in this delicious powdered milk, as if it were a local brand of coffee creamer It melodically declares that it is. That they just love it so much.

The once shy part-time Pakistani cricketer is now proud to call himself Zimbabwean. This is the place he has called home for the past two decades and he is currently leading his country in T20Is.

The all-rounder was born in Sialkot, a city in north-eastern Pakistan known as the center of sporting goods manufacturing, and has fond memories of growing up there.

“My early life in Pakistan was study, study, study,” Raza told Al Jazeera. “Street cricket was a big part of my childhood. We used to tape tennis balls and play street cricket and that was the beginning of cricket for me.”

How an “ordinary player” became Zimbabwe's best player

Raza immigrated to Zimbabwe from Pakistan in 2003 with his parents. He soon attended his Caledonian University in Glasgow, Scotland and graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering.

Those singing praises at the ground remember that Raza's talent might not have been enjoyed as seriously if he had not chosen to interrupt his studies for a career in cricket. You probably don't know much about it. He stumbled upon the sport by chance and later realized that he was actually good at it.

“I never thought that cricket would be my calling. I only had one year in 2009 to make a decision,” Raza recalls.

“If cricket didn't work out that year, I was going to go back to Scotland to do a master's degree in software engineering. I took a gap year and gave cricket a try. I guess I was lucky. worked so well that I didn't have to go back to master's practice.”

Raza studied abroad in Scotland and was playing club cricket when he returned to Zimbabwe during his holidays. However, he approached the game with a relaxed attitude. It makes sense for those who are focused on a different career path.

Many people who watched him play at the time did not see his potential as a professional cricketer.

“When he started playing club cricket, Raza was just an ordinary player,” said former Zimbabwe coach Stephen Mangongo. “But what struck me was his energy, his irresistible desire to train, and his eagerness to learn.”

Raza nodded in agreement.

“I never thought I would become an international cricketer either,” he admits. “For me, cricket has always been about enjoying life. You need activity and a healthy hobby, rather than lying in bed doing nothing. Cricket has always been a passion and a source of happiness for me. ”

Although Raza won't admit it, his sudden urge to play international cricket for Zimbabwe meant that if he had actually played for himself, there were many better players in this country in that era. It was caused by the realization that there was no such thing.

Former Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) official and sportswriter Blessing Morug witnessed the early stages of Raza's career.

“The first time I saw him bat was in a league game at Alexandra Sports Club,'' Maurug recalls.

“He didn't score a lot of runs, but he was very aggressive and broke some boundaries.'' When I spoke to him after the game, Raza said he just played for fun.

After becoming a Zimbabwean citizen, Raza made his international debut in 2013. He has successfully transformed himself from an aspiring fighter pilot and underrated club cricketer to one of the world's best white-ball cricketers.

“The whole idea was just to see who was ahead of me. I always had the determination to be the best in this country.”

As Sean Williams attests, the respect and admiration for Raza among his team-mates was huge, spanning 11 years, playing 240 matches and scoring over 7,000 runs across formats.

“It's very difficult to summarize in words how Raz developed into this type of cricketer,” Williams told Al Jazeera.

“He's become a hell of a player. When he first came on, he was exciting to watch, he was fearless, and that's what this game is all about.”

“He's a really good person.”

It is not just his runs and wickets that have earned him admiration and love from those around him.

“Raza hasn't just grown on the cricket field. He's a really good human being,” Williams said.

“What helped him? [while playing] International and franchise cricket around the world is his belief. He protects his faith above all else. There are many things people don't realize about Raza. The things he does are cancer foundations, orphanages, and everything else you can't see. He gives up his free time for that.

“When he goes home to see his family, he can only go home for a few days. He gives. He spends time with them. To me, that's priceless and speaks volumes about him as a person.”

A quick look at the outfits Raza has appeared in during his career and it's clear why he doesn't spend much time at home. He has played over 220 domestic T20 matches and around 250 List A matches, representing over 25 teams and franchises.

Franchise cricket gives him ample opportunity to play the game he loves with Zimbabwe's limited overseas travel, but it's another reason why he loves being active around the world. be.

Raza is grateful to be able to fund charities with proceeds from T20 leagues around the world. The cricket calendar is filled with many T20 leagues and cricketers can earn a decent amount of money.

I have money and enjoy life on the road. However, this puts a physical strain on the players.

“We travel a lot with our cricket franchise team. We're jumping from plane to plane, especially if you're playing international cricket,” Raza added.

“It can be hard on the body. People think it's a luxurious lifestyle. We're spoiled. We're blessed. The hotels are great, the food is great, the quality of the cricket is great. The perks that come with playing franchise cricket are great. It looks like a glamorous life, but trust me it's not as glamorous as it looks from the outside.”

Raising the flag of Yamagata

With improved performance, the T20 side was given a captain's armband. However, under his captaincy, Zimbabwe missed out on qualifying for this year's T20 World Cup, missing out on a major world tournament for the second time since 2019.

Raza was not yet a teenage sensation and was almost in his 30s at the time of his debut.

He doesn't have much time left on the cricket pitch.

Two-time World Cup-winning Australia captain Ricky Ponting praised Raza for his breakout year in 2022.

“He's playing with a youthful vigor. It's like he's 26 years old again,” Ponting said in an interview with ICC during the 2022 T20 World Cup.

“[He is] He's one of those players who wants to be on the big stage, and once he gets there, he's not going to let it pass. He led from the front.”

Raza may be retained as captain. With the Zimbabwean team in transition, ZC hopes Raza will continue to inspire the next generation as part of the squad, possibly up until the 2027 ODI World Cup. In the process, Zimbabwe will miss Raza for a number of matches as he remains one of the most popular all-rounders in franchise T20 cricket.

But even when he's not playing for Zimbabwe, his loyal fans follow his journey on the international stage flying the Chevron flag. After all, he is the country's biggest export of cricket in recent years, and perhaps the red pentagram on the national flag.





Source link

Share.

Related Posts

Add A Comment

Leave A Reply