The 2022 Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe is currently underway and while we’ve seen some brilliant individual performances from both teams, we have to single out the home side’s Sikandar Raza. He’s been a saving grace for them since many years now, and his talents were on display on this particular tour as well.
In fact, he’s been more consistent than ever in the last few months, coming back after a long lay-off due to injury. Last year, he was out of action for an indefinite period after a bone marrow infection which led to surgery. He worked hard on his fitness and here he is today, at the top of his game, scoring runs and taking wickets for Zimbabwe in all formats…
Sikandar Raza the best all-rounder in the game?!
We’ve always looked at Raza as one of the best and when you look at his recent numbers, you’ll understand why we’re saying so. Recovering from various cycles of medication, injections, and pain over the last few months, Raza has managed to find his A-game once again in recent games against multiple opponents at home since June 2022.
His stats include four fifties in his last nine T20 internationals as well as a century in one ODI, being his first 50-over game after a while. He scored fifties against Singapore and USA and then got two more against a better opposition in Bangladesh, followed by a match-winning century (135*) in the first ODI against Bangladesh again. He’s even got 10 wickets with the ball in these last ten outings!
SEE ALSO: List of top online sports betting websites
While several top cricket experts and teammates lauded Raza’s recent performances with bat and ball, leading sports content and stats website ESPNcricinfo wasn’t too far behind either. They posted to their social media handles a screenshot of Raza’s numbers in his last ten outings, while also rightly terming him as a ‘Zimbabwe Legend’ 🇿🇼.
Sikandar Raza – A Zimbabwe legend 🙌
✅ Player of the Match in today's ODI against Bangladesh
✅ Player of the Series in the #ZIMvBAN T20Is
✅ Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup QualifierSCORECARD: https://t.co/uW6ZIXbP34 pic.twitter.com/fFJpo3NR0T
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 5, 2022
The all-rounder is now 36 years old but when you see him in action on the field, you’ll see that he’s on top of his fitness game as well. Let’s not forget he was also named player of the tournament at the recent T20 World Cup Qualifier as well. He spoke to ESPNcricinfo after that thrilling victory on Friday, 5th August, saying the below:
“There’s pressure to do well and win the game, there’s pressure. I won’t lie. Of course, it helps that I am from an Air Force background. We don’t give up. I get hit, I get hurt, broken fingers, toes, etc. I don’t care. I personally feel it helps spending the three-and-a-half years in PAF college. I will always be a fighter within myself. I couldn’t become a fighter pilot. But I think as a person, I will always be a fighter. The training mentally and physically is paying dividends now.”
The victory where Raza scored a century was Zimbabwe’s first ODI win against Bangladesh at home in over 9 years. For Raza, it was his 4th ODI century and we think he’s still got a lot more to give to his nation in time to come. For similar updates on sports and cricket news from around the world, make sure you stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
Register on Betway and get massive FREE Bets every week
