KARACHI – Former Zimbabwe T20 captain and Test all-rounder Sikandar Raza played a key role in Lahore Qalandars’ victory with his exceptional performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Raza once aspired to become a pilot in the Air Force, but destiny led him to become a cricketer.
A song originally composed for a former captain of a renowned football club in Zimbabwe is now sung in Sikandar Raza’s name.
Born in Sialkot, Raza began playing cricket in the streets of his hometown.
His father was involved in the car trading business in Sialkot, and after moving to Zimbabwe, he continued in the same profession. During this time, Raza went to Scotland for higher education.
He aspired to become a pilot in the Pakistan Air Force but failed the vision test, which ended that dream. He later moved to Scotland with his parents, where he earned a degree in software engineering.
Sikandar Raza has been associated with Zimbabwean cricket since 2007. He made his Test debut in 2013 against Pakistan in Harare.
Raza is so popular in Zimbabwe that the song “Munya”—originally dedicated to a legendary football club captain—is now sung for him, with chants of “Raza” replacing the footballer’s name in stadiums.
He considers himself Zimbabwean, as he has lived in Zimbabwe with his wife and two children for over two decades.
Raza shared that during his student life, his world revolved around studies, and he would play tape-ball cricket in the streets.
He said that in 2003, he moved to Zimbabwe with his parents but soon left for Scotland for education, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in software engineering. At that time, he was still undecided about pursuing a cricket career.
He added that he had just one year to make a decision. Had he not chosen cricket by 2009, he might have returned to Scotland for a master’s degree.
Even in Scotland, Raza played club cricket but had never thought about turning professional. People who watched him play back then also did not see him as a future pro.
Zimbabwe’s former cricket coach Stephen Mangongo said, “When Sikandar started playing club cricket, he was just an ordinary player. But his passion and hunger to learn left me amazed.”
Raza has delivered match-winning performances in multiple international matches, but he considers his showing against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup his most memorable.
In the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, he helped Zimbabwe achieve a dramatic one-run victory against Pakistan. Although he didn’t shine with the bat, his bowling turned the match around by taking key wickets of Shan Masood, Haider Ali, and Shadab Khan.
It was only the second time Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan in T20 Internationals—the first being in Harare in 2021 when they defended a low score of 118 and bowled out Pakistan for just 99.
Raza said, “I couldn’t sleep properly the night before the match against Pakistan. It meant a lot to me. I kept thinking about my batting approach, even took notes and read them repeatedly. Zimbabwe rarely gets to play big teams under floodlights. It was my first time playing in Perth. My body was asleep, but my mind was wide awake, thinking about the game.”
PSL 10 final
In the PSL 10 final, Raza played a decisive role in helping Lahore Qalandars win their third PSL title. On his very first ball, he hit Mohammad Amir for a six. In the final over, he smashed another six off Faheem Ashraf and then hit the winning boundary to seal the victory.
After the match, Raza revealed, “As soon as the Test match ended in England, I got a call from Sameen Rana who told me to catch a flight to Pakistan immediately. When I asked, he said no flights were available from Nottingham, so I’d have to go to Birmingham.”
He explained, “I rushed to the hotel without even packing properly. A friend drove me to the airport. I flew to Dubai, drove for an hour and a half to Abu Dhabi, then landed in Lahore at 6:50pm. I entered the dressing room at 7:20, stepped into the ground for the national anthem at 7:25, and the match started at 7:30. It all feels like a dream now,”.
