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[VIDEO/PICTURES] "I believed we could beat Pakistan even before the first ball was bowled": Sikandar Raza

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[VIDEO] "I believed we could beat Pakistan even before the first ball was bowled": Sikandar Raza

Player of the match Sikandar Raza chats with Saj Sadiq about Zimbabwe's fantastic win over Pakistan

 
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Love the confidence from Sikandar and the Zimbabwe side. Hope they can get more wins in this tournament.
 
A fantastic ambassador for Zimbabwe cricket.

Young cricketers in Zimbabwe can look up to such players as great role-models.

He's done so well, I wonder how his career would have gone if he had stayed in Pakistan?
 
Watch him crumble with confidence against India. The crumbs were felt against SA too but the rains came.

The fact that average players don't play with any pressure against Pakistan is a slap on our sorry faces.
 
Ofc you did, you beat us twice in 2 years before this.
 
Great interview. I hope this guy wins the man of the series in this WC. He deserves it upto this point.
 
SalimBhai said:
Why is he not playing for pak. I always thought he could play.
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Born in Sialkot, Punjab, Raza moved to Zimbabwe, where his parents are staying since 2002. The 36-year-old made his first-class debut in 2007 and was granted the citizenship in 2011.

“I never thought of playing for Pakistan when I lived there. I play for Zimbabwe and any such thought had never crossed my mind. I left the sub-continent country to become a fighter pilot but I was not successful,”

“I did software engineering and my family moved to Zimbabwe. I was planning to do Masters but got an opportunity to play first-class cricket in Zimbabwe and my journey started"
 
Raza seems like a very positive cricketer.

Fighting spirit.
 
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Saj said:
Born in Sialkot, Punjab, Raza moved to Zimbabwe, where his parents are staying since 2002. The 36-year-old made his first-class debut in 2007 and was granted the citizenship in 2011.

“I never thought of playing for Pakistan when I lived there. I play for Zimbabwe and any such thought had never crossed my mind. I left the sub-continent country to become a fighter pilot but I was not successful,”

“I did software engineering and my family moved to Zimbabwe. I was planning to do Masters but got an opportunity to play first-class cricket in Zimbabwe and my journey started"
Click to expand...

He is really a fighter pilot for his cricket team
 
Great story of Sikandar bhai. He is a proper example of Never give up your dream.
 
Saj said:
Born in Sialkot, Punjab, Raza moved to Zimbabwe, where his parents are staying since 2002. The 36-year-old made his first-class debut in 2007 and was granted the citizenship in 2011.

“I never thought of playing for Pakistan when I lived there. I play for Zimbabwe and any such thought had never crossed my mind. I left the sub-continent country to become a fighter pilot but I was not successful,”

“I did software engineering and my family moved to Zimbabwe. I was planning to do Masters but got an opportunity to play first-class cricket in Zimbabwe and my journey started"
Click to expand...


It is rare for players to represent their own nation after they left their country. Kepler Wessels initially represented Australia and later South Africa his home country. Harshal Patel left as a teenager for the US and worked in a perfume shop owned by a Pakistani 20 hours a day. Miraculously came back to India and now he is part of the Indian world cup squad.
 
Beating Pakistan is Zimbabwe’s best victory, says Sikandar Raza
All-rounder says Perth upset has opened up Group 2, but adds Zimbabwe are not looking at semis already

Sikandar Raza has termed the one-run win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Perth on Thursday as Zimbabwe’s best victory since he’s been part of the team. When asked if it was bigger than even the 1983 World Cup win over Australia, Raza said that he’d have to ask coach Dave Houghton, who was part of that famous victory in Nottingham, which one was bigger.

“Since I have been part of Zimbabwe cricket, I would rate that the best victory we have ever had,” Player of the Match Raza said during the post-match press conference. “There is no better stage, this is the World Cup, the biggest stage of all, and to beat Pakistan by one run, (defending) a modest total, you are going to have to do everything right to defend that which we did, so that is probably the best victory I have been part of with Zimbabwe.

“I am going to have this conversation with the head coach,” Raza said with a smile. “I am going to ask him which victory was better, 1983 or 2022. I will let him answer that.” Raza hoped that wins such as this one would inspire more people to take up the game as a sustainable career option back home in Zimbabwe.

“We have a lot of youngsters picking up this sport back home. A lot of parents are accepting that their kids can have a future in this sport. I feel this group of players has an added responsibility to make sure cricket grows in Zimbabwe. We always talk that Zimbabwe has a very small pool of players but that is maybe because not many are taking up this sport.

“We want to make sure that this group of boys can achieve and encourage something, where not just players but their families, everybody, can truly believe that there is a future in the sport and raise the flag high.” Like Ireland’s win over England opened up the Super 12 Group 1, Zimbabwe’s win over Pakistan had done the same in Group 2, Raza said, but added that they weren’t looking ahead to the semis already.

“We are going to take one game at a time, but we have opened up the group for everyone. Basically anyone who plays good cricket can win. You never know where Zimbabwe will end up.

“The Irish boys did that as well to the other group. Zimbabwe have really got the chance to achieve something. I am not going to start thinking about the semi-final. I am going to look at one game at a time, look at Bangladesh and take it from there.”

Indian Express
 
He's a loudmouth against Pakistan because we allowed him. A wicket on the wide, a straight ball missed.
 
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Saj said:
Born in Sialkot, Punjab, Raza moved to Zimbabwe, where his parents are staying since 2002. The 36-year-old made his first-class debut in 2007 and was granted the citizenship in 2011.

“I never thought of playing for Pakistan when I lived there. I play for Zimbabwe and any such thought had never crossed my mind. I left the sub-continent country to become a fighter pilot but I was not successful,”

“I did software engineering and my family moved to Zimbabwe. I was planning to do Masters but got an opportunity to play first-class cricket in Zimbabwe and my journey started"
Click to expand...

wow whatt a story & dude is qualified in real life as well. I had no idea about his background. dude looks so fit for 36 years old. & is making a diffrence in all 3 disciplines.
 
I wonder if Zimbabwe can sneak into the semi-finals.

Tough ask but perhaps they've still got a surprise or 2 left in them yet in this tournament.
 
Big talk from Sikander Raza, really big talk. And now look at him, didn even bowl more than an over against Netherlands.

Him and his mates had a big ego in the field today, brought back to earth by NL.

Good for them they defeated Pakistan, but atleast Pakistan will keep on playing icc tournaments and will reach semis in future tournaments. Same cant be said about Zimbabwe
 
Major said:
Big talk from Sikander Raza, really big talk. And now look at him, didn even bowl more than an over against Netherlands.

Him and his mates had a big ego in the field today, brought back to earth by NL.

Good for them they defeated Pakistan, but atleast Pakistan will keep on playing icc tournaments and will reach semis in future tournaments. Same cant be said about Zimbabwe
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Isn't it worrying signs for Pakistan that even a minnows like Zimbabwe & Afghan can bully em?
Especially the meek character of babar is all to blame for this .
I don't ever remember Pakistan being played with this shallow mentality .
Teams like Zimbabwe and other minnow needs to show their place or else they will believe ofcourse so what's Raza said is nothing wrong theirs big loophole in Pakistan batting. And their confidence he just exploited it well .
 
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Let's see what Zimbabwe do versus India - Does Sikandar have the same confidence?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#55358;&#56802; ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year 2022<br>&#55358;&#56601; ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year 2022<br><br>Capping off an incredible year for Sikandar Raza &#55357;&#56908; <a href="https://t.co/gxv5LEXv3s">pic.twitter.com/gxv5LEXv3s</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1619565379478487040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
He's making his IPL debut today for Punjab Kings versus KKR.
 
Match-winning half century for Sikandar in IPL 2023 today
 
Well calculated knock until he got out. Targeted the right bowlers. One could see disappointment in his face that he was not there till the end.
 
Man his improvement in the last 18 months has been awe-inspiring.

He such a run machine right now.
 
Sikandar Raza's birthday today - getting old now but still much-needed by Zimbabwe.

==

Born: April 24, 1986 (age 37 years), Sialkot, Pakistan
 
Sikander playing an important role for Zimbabwe in their qualifying campaign for the WC

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Sikandar Raza | Player of the Match: 68(58)

All I asked from the boys, doesn’t matter what skills we have. What we want is fight and courage, skills will look after itself. That’s what we got today. Burl has been amazing, he has been hungry in the change room, he has shown dedication towards his batting. Great to see him get a 50 today, unlucky the way he was dismissed. I personally felt we were 20-30 runs short, but we knew we could save them in the field. We have the hunger to get to India, to book that World Cup slot. Our fast bowlers are all good - Blessing, Tendai Chatara, Ngarava all chipped in. The bowlers won us the game today. I don’t think we could win this game with skills alone, what we needed was the fan support and they turned up today. We’ll now do a lap of honor for these fans.
 
Scoring a fifty and a hat-trick in the same game

Sikandar Raza was on fire in the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers

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This man is on another level right now, a pure match winner for his team.

He should have played cricket for Pakistan, we missed out on this gem!


1701990203910.png
 
Unfortunately Zimbabwe couldn't qualify for ICC T20I World Cup 2024. But this man is a Gem for Zimbabwe Cricket


IMG-20231208-WA0078.jpg
 
Harare Sports Club between Zimbabwe and Ireland has seen fines for three players and suspension for one.

Zimbabwe captain, Sikandar Raza and Ireland players, Curtis Campher and Josh Little were fined after the three were involved in an on-field altercation during the first T20I.

While Raza was charged for aggressively charging towards Campher and Little, the Ireland pacer was charged with making physical contact with the Zimbabwean. Campher, reportedly, side-stepped the on-field umpires and charged at Raza.
Campher and Little admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

Raza acknowledged committing the offense but rejected the penalty suggested by Mr. Pycroft. The sanction was officially confirmed in a hearing on December 8.

The players were accused of breaching Article 2.20 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “conduct contrary to the spirit of the game.”

In terrible news for Zimbabwe, Raza faces a suspension for the last two games of the ongoing three-match series.

Raza received a penalty of a 50% deduction from his match fee and was given two demerit points. The suspension comes after his total demerit points hit four within a 24-month timeframe due to his recent violation of the ICC Code of Conduct.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Source: ICC
 
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Zimbabwe T20I captain put up a fight with a fantastic innings of 62 (42) against Sri Lanka in the first T20I, leading Zimbabwe to a total of 143/5.

20240114_201128.jpg
 
All-rounder Sikandar Raza will join Northamptonshire for the Vitality Blast.

Captain of the Zimbabwean National Side in T20 cricket, Raza brings the experience of more than 200 T20 appearances to the squad.

“I’m delighted to be coming to Northamptonshire.” Raza said.

“This will be a different challenge for me but I’ve loved playing cricket in England in the past. It’s always been a wish to play in the Vitality Blast so I’m looking forward to fulfilling that.”

Currently ranked 5th in the ICC Men’s T20I All-rounder world rankings, Raza has scored more than 4,000 runs and claimed more than 100 wickets since his debut in 2010.

The 37-year-old recently became the first player to score five consecutive T20 international half centuries and was recently nominated as ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.

“We’re delighted with the signing of Sikander for the Blast.” Head Coach John Sadler said.

“He’s a very experienced, high performer on a global scale. He’s a three dimensional cricketer who always has an impact in every game he plays, we know he’s also a fierce competitor which will be fantastic for us.”

Raza will join the squad ahead of the tournament and is available for all 14 matches of the group stage and said his focus was clear.

“I would like to entertain the fans and put a smile on their face with as many wins as possible.

“Our first task is to secure a quarter final spot and then take that momentum and belief into the latter stages and hopefully lift the trophy.“

Looking at the side we have a decent squad and a lot of good players, I’m looking forward to using my experience to help us win as many games as possible and help the younger players as well.”

nccc.co.uk

Sikandar Raza Joins Steelbacks for Vitality Blast - Northamptonshire CCC

Raza will join the squad ahead of the tournament and is available for all 14 matches of the group stage and said his focus was clear.
nccc.co.uk nccc.co.uk
 
Sikandar Raza bowled a great spell for Dubai Capitals against MI Emirates in the ongoing ILT20. He took 3 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs and was declared player of the match.
 
In an Interview Sikandar Raza discussed the NOC issues and his commitment to Zimbabwe Cricket:

"If you never give players NOCs, it doesn't matter because he won't play when he starts playing international cricket. All he has is negativity around."

"One of the reasons why I am doing well is that for the last 2 to 3 years my performances have been going well. Zimbabwe cricket is managing me very well because I promised them that I won't miss any white-ball cricket for my country. For that, I am ready to leave any league around the world. If Zimbabwe picks me against Nigeria, I will skip PSL, or if a series occurs during IPL, I will skip that too. If GT20, CPL, ILT20, any of the leagues come during my national duty, I will leave it."

"When you perform, people will praise you. But when you fail, they will start talking that you are focusing only on leagues. That's not it should have done. Wearing the national jersey is always a beautiful feeling. You get pride in it, and you get love from your people. People say it's about money, but it's not, at least not for me. That's why when you see me playing for Zimbabwe, you see a different player in me with passion. I always play my cricket like that. But when you get negativity, either you play leagues, not international cricket, so you won't play from the heart."

"I feel when generally we bring on PCB and Pakistani players, then it becomes a whole agenda. I don't have any agendas. I feel if you manage cricketers well and communicate with them well, he must realize that I am being taken care of well by the board. If my NOC is getting rejected, it's for my own betterment because I know their vision and their plan, and you stick with that plan in which honesty matters a lot."

"I am not part of this domestic circuit; I am only part of Zimbabwe cricket domestic. In Zimbabwe cricket, honesty between me, MD, and Chairman is very transparent."
 
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Sikandar Raza fined for showing dissent​


Lahore Qalandars’ Sikandar Raza has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of HBL PSL’s code of conduct for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision.

The incident occurred during the Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators game at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Sunday night.

Sikandar, on three different occasions during the game, raised his arms, shook his head and gestured that the delivery should have been called a wide ball, leading to a violation of article 2.8, which deals with a player showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an HBL PSL game.

On-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rashid Riaz leveled the charge against Sikandar Raza while match referee Ali Naqvi imposed the fine.

PCB
 
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It's a very small matter. Imposing a fine over such a small matter was not appropriate for the PCB.
 
FearlessRoar said:

Sikandar Raza fined for showing dissent​


Lahore Qalandars’ Sikandar Raza has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of HBL PSL’s code of conduct for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision.

The incident occurred during the Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators game at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Sunday night.

Sikandar, on three different occasions during the game, raised his arms, shook his head and gestured that the delivery should have been called a wide ball, leading to a violation of article 2.8, which deals with a player showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an HBL PSL game.

On-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Rashid Riaz leveled the charge against Sikandar Raza while match referee Ali Naqvi imposed the fine.

PCB
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Thats just weird, he didnt fight or argue, I don't think he even deliberately did anything.

Pretty sure the disappointment was internal frustration?
 
Something about him, he's way too cocky for a player who is yet to accomplish anything in international arena. Just a League mercenary
 
While talking to reporters in Chittagong, Sikandar Raza expressed regret over Zimbabwe missing T20 World Cup":

“I think that’s something that will always be painful. Not just when we play, I think even when we retire,”

“It’s not just pain that we’re feeling now, I think it’s something that we’re going to have to carry for a long time.”

“We have a huge responsibility back home as well for the people and the kids that are playing this sport and the kids who want to make a career out of this sport,”

“The future of the sport in (my) country is enough motivation for me to try and take away the pain.”
 
Seems Sikandars team are going to repeat the same performance again, albeit in a different format.
 
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