Sikandar Raza (Cricketer) Biography, Career, Debut, Pakistani ?, Citizenship, Family, Wiki, Education, Age, Height, Weight, And More

Sikandar Raza Butt known as Sikandar Raza is a Pakistani-born Zimbabwean international cricketer. During his school days, he wanted to become a fighter pilot. In 2002, he moved to Zimbabwe with his parents.

Sikandar Raza Early Life

Sikandar was born on 24^th April 1986 in Sialkot, Pakistan. His father’s name is Tasadaq Hussian, he runs a business of motor parts. He has a younger brother Taymoor Raza Butt.

During his school days, he wanted to become a fighter pilot. He was selected from 10,000 students to study at the Pakistan Air Force boarding school but he failed the Lens Opacity test in the final medical round.

In 2002, he moved to Zimbabwe with his parents. There he started playing cricket at the amateur level. After seeing his popularity at the amateur level that the selectors of the Zimbabwe cricket team approached him to play for Zimbabwe’s national cricket team. However, as he was a Pakistani citizen, he could not play for the national team.  in 2011, the Zimbabwe Government allotted him their citizenship which made him eligible to play for the national team.

Sikandar Raza Career

Domestic

On 12 April 2007, he made his first-class debut for Northerns against Easterns during the 2007 Logan Cup. In 2007, he made his List A debut. Initially, he played List A for Northerns but later switched to play for Mashonaland Eagles.

In 2010, he made his Twenty20 debut for the Southern Rocks against the Desert Vipers.

In 2011, he then represented a Zimbabwe XI team before the Bangladesh tour to Zimbabwe started. Zimbabwe XI won the two matches.

T20 Leagues

On 3 June 2018, Raza was selected to play for the Montreal Tigers in the players’ draft for the first edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament.

In October 2018, he was named to Tshwane Spartans’ squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament. In the same month, he was selected in the squad for the Chittagong Vikings team, following the draft for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.

In July 2020, he was selected for the Trinbago Knight Riders squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League. In December 2020, he was selected to play for the Southern Rocks in the 2020–21 Logan Cup.

International

Raza made his debut for the Zimbabwean cricket team in May 2013, playing in his first One Day International (ODI) match against Bangladesh. Although he only scored three runs, he became the first foreign player to represent Zimbabwe at the international level. In his fourth ODI appearance, he scored 82 runs against India in the first five-match bilateral ODI series held in Zimbabwe.

Raza’s Test debut was in September 2013 against Pakistan at the Harare Sports Club, where he scored 60 runs and shared a 127-run partnership with Malcolm Waller. Despite scoring a half-century in his Test debut, he was dropped from the team when Zimbabwean captain Brendan Taylor returned. Raza made his T20I debut in November 2013 against Bangladesh, becoming the youngest person to score fifty in T20Is at just over 17 years old.

In July 2014, Raza scored his maiden ODI century against Afghanistan, opening the batting and helping Zimbabwe to a convincing eight-wicket win. He set the record for the highest individual score in ODI runs by a Zimbabwean batsman with 141 runs in a successful ODI run. During this run, he and Hamilton Masakadza made the best partnership for the wicket in Zimbabwean ODI history by adding 224 runs for the opening wicket.

Raza was part of the Zimbabwean team for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Although his performance with the bat was not up to expectations, he impressed many with his bowling. Raza was named vice-captain for the second T20I during Zimbabwe’s tour of India in 2015. Before that, he captained the Mash Eagles four times in domestic cricket in 2012. He led Zimbabwe to their first win of the tour by 10 runs.

In the 2016–17 Zimbabwe tri-series, Raza and Tendai Chisoro formed Zimbabwe’s highest record 9th-wicket partnership in ODI cricket, adding an unbeaten 91 to take Zimbabwe to a modest 218/8 for the loss of 7 wickets in one stage. The partnership ended up being decisive as Zimbabwe stunned the West Indies by five D/L runs. Raza remained unbeaten on 76 off 103 balls.

Raza’s match-winning highlight came during Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2017. He led Zimbabwe to win the final ODI and take the series 3–2, their first series win against Sri Lanka. It was their first away win since 2009 and they’re first away win against a Test nation since defeating Bangladesh in 2001. It was also Zimbabwe’s first win in a five-match away series. Raza won the Man of the Match award for his match-winning knock in the last ODI. On the same tour, Raza scored his maiden Test century in a one-off Test, prompting Zimbabwe to embark on a mammoth task to chase down the hosts. Despite his performance, Sri Lanka posted 389 runs to win the one-off Test, recording the highest chase on Asian soil.

In the second Test against the West Indies, Raza took five wickets in the second innings of his first Test. In addition to his five-wicket haul, Raza also collected two fifties and became only the second Test cricketer after Jacques Kallis to score 80-plus in both innings and take five for the Proteas. Thanks to his all-round performances, Zimbabwe managed to draw the match and he was also awarded the man of the match. The draw gave the Zimbabweans their first draw in 12 years and the first time since 2013 that they have avoided defeat in 10 attempts.

In February 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Raza as one of ten players to watch ahead of the 2018 Cricket World Cup qualifiers. He was awarded player of the tournament for the Cricket World Cup qualifiers for 319 runs and 15 wickets, although Zimbabwe did not qualify for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. When asked by commentator Pommie Mbangwa if he was happy with the Player of the Tournament award, he began by saying he was not happy, claiming the team had broken the hearts of 15 million Zimbabweans and also expressed his frustrations with the 10-team World Cup, that limited the countries of the federation from competition in the biggest exhibition. After Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, the ZC board took an aggressive approach and selected senior players, including Raza, for the 2018 home Tri-Nation Series in Zimbabwe, which also featured Australia and Pakistan.

In the second Test against Sri Lanka in January 2020, Raza achieved the second-best bowling figures for a Zimbabwean bowler in an inning in Test cricket, with 71/13 from 43 overs. On 6 March 2020, Raza played his 100th ODI in the third match against Bangladesh.

In April 2021, he was briefly sidelined from international cricket, his international career in jeopardy, when he contracted a bone marrow infection. It was also believed that his condition was cancer and that he would probably have been amputated if he had opted for chemotherapy. It was later revealed that his condition was normal and reports of his cancer status were downplayed. In July 2021, he returned to competitive cricket and made his international debut in a bilateral home match against Bangladesh.

In July 2022, he was selected for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B in Zimbabwe. He played a major role in Zimbabwe’s golden series during the tournament, where Zimbabwe defeated the highly-rated Netherlands in the final to secure a place in the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers. He was named man of the match for his bowling in the final, his crisp bowling taking 4/8, including a maiden 95 from the Dutchman, helping Zimbabwe defend a modest total of 132. He was also awarded as the player of the tournament for his all-round performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup global qualifiers.

In August 2022, during the first match of a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh at home, Sikandar Raza scored an unbeaten 135 runs to help Zimbabwe secure their first ODI win over Bangladesh since 2013. He was awarded the Player of the Match award for his exceptional performance. Raza’s innings of 135 not out came in a run chase of 304, and it is the highest individual score by a batsman in an ODI run chase while batting at number 5 or lower. Raza and teammate Innocent Kaia became only the second pair of batsmen for Zimbabwe after Stuart Carlisle and Sean Ervine scored centuries in the same ODI innings. They added a crucial 192-run partnership, which was Zimbabwe’s fourth-highest-ever partnership for any wicket. Raza also became only the second Zimbabwean after Craig Ervine to score two centuries in successful ODI run chases.

Raza continued his impressive form in the second ODI of the series, where he scored his second successive century to help Zimbabwe win the match by five wickets. He was awarded the Player of the Match award for his all-around performance with the bat and ball. Raza became the first Zimbabwean to score three ODI centuries in successful ODI run chases and the first Zimbabwean to score two consecutive centuries in two successive successful ODI chases. He also added 201 runs with Regis Chakabva for the fifth wicket to guide Zimbabwe to a strong position from a precarious one. It was also Zimbabwe’s highest fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs. Raza was awarded the Player of the Series award for his exceptional performances with the bat and ball throughout the series, which marked Zimbabwe’s first ODI series win over Bangladesh since 2013.

During the third and final ODI against India in August 2022, Raza played a breathtaking counter-attacking knock, scoring 115 runs off just 95 balls. His knock included nine fours and three sixes, and he had a strike rate of 121.05. Although his knock couldn’t help Zimbabwe cross the finish line, it paved the way for a possible shock win over India. Zimbabwe managed to come within touching distance of a famous victory, thanks to Raza’s monumental century. However, India prevailed in the end after Raza’s dismissal, whose marathon knock was brought to an end by a spectacular stunning diving catch from Shubman Gill in the penultimate over. Zimbabwe was bowled out for 276 runs, falling short of the victory target by 14 runs, and denying the hosts a consolation win.

Raza subsequently joined an elite list of players who have scored the most number of ODI centuries in run chases in a single calendar year, with only Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli ahead of him on the list. Raza became the first player to score three ODI centuries in ODI run chases in the same month of a calendar year, as all three of his centuries in 2022 came in run chases in the month of August. Since 2022, Raza has been the most successful player in the shorter formats, scoring 615 runs in ODIs and 516 runs in T20Is.

Sikandar Raza Family

He is married and has 2 children. He is a very private and hence he has not shared anything about his personal life with media.

Sikandar Raza Education

He completed his schooling at Pakistan Air Force College, Lower Topa, Pakistan. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in software engineering at the Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland.

Sikandar Raza Some Interesting Facts

• Raza is represented by Stem Sports and Lifestyle Management Agency.
• He is the brand ambassador of various brands like Splash Zimbabwe, Shrey Sports, The Country Club, and PUMA South Africa.
• Raza loves eating African Braai.
• He is the first player from Zimbabwe to score 3 centuries in ODI match run chases.
• In August 2022, he became the ICC ODI player of the month, becoming the first player from Zimbabwe to get the title.
• Raza is the first player from Zimbabwe to score 600 runs in T20 cricket in a calendar year.

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