Sikandar Raza has one of the most spectacular profiles in the professional cricket series. Though his story lacks the struggle and stress that are often associated with Prodigy-Turn-Pro cricketers, it shows that anyone can become anything if you are willing to work hard to achieve it. Unlike the vast majority of cricketers that we have out there, Sikandar Raza didn’t start as a teenage prodigy. Instead, he stumbled on the sport after journeying through his adolescence and adulthood. He loved to play cricket as a child, and when he discovered that he was very good at it, he decided to make a career out of it. And so began his journey in the professional cricket series.

Career

Sikandar Raza is a 33-year-old right-handed batsman from Zimbabwe. His career as a professional cricketer began during his university days at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. He had moved to Scotland after failing a vision test that is mandatory for selection in an air force school in Pakistan, to study software engineering. It was on the cricket field of this school that he found his love and potential for professional cricket, and he decided to pursue it as a career.

In 2009, Zimbabwe’s domestic structure had undergone a complete revamp, giving Sikanda Raza the perfect chance to join the Mashonaland eagles for the first-class cricket series. He delivered an outstanding performance and he scored a total point of 146.

For a while, he experimented in the listA cricket. First, he played for the Northerns, then he moved over to the Mashonaland eagles. His first appearance in the ListA scenes was in 2007, and he was only there for a while before he found his true love – the Twenty20 leagues.

Sikandar Raza made his first debut to the T20 professional cricket series in 2010, where he played for the southern rocks against desert vipers. It didn’t take him time to realize his potential and drive for the T20 tournaments. His first big performance was against Mid-west rhinos in 2010, where he scored an amazing 44 for southern Rocks. After scoring 80 runs in the list A series, he secured a spot for himself in Zimbabwe’s preliminary squad for the 2011 world cricket world cup. He was later named for the 2018 Mzansi Super League T20 tournament, the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League, and the 2019 Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament.

Playing style

Sikandar Raza is a creative right-handed batsman with a highly competitive spirit. He can function well under pressure and stress, and he isn’t afraid to take on any challenges on the field. Besides, the pivotal role he played in July 2017 in a pressure situation chasing 204 in Hambantota, attests to that fact.

Accomplishments

Sikandar Raza has made over 12, 92, 28, and 54 appearances in TEST, ODI, T20I, and FC respectively.

During his appearance in these tournaments, he scored a total of 818 runs in Tests, 2,515 in ODI, 382 in T20I, and 3,207 in FC.

There is no doubt that Sikandar Raza is a great cricketer, and as such, we can only expect better performances from him in the coming seasons.