Sikandar Raza facts for kids
Raza during 2022 T20 World Cup
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Sikandar Raza Butt
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 24 April 1986 Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 89) | 3 September 2013 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 2 January 2025 v Afghanistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 116) | 3 May 2013 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 11 January 2024 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 36) | 11 May 2013 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 14 July 2024 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006/07–2008/09 | Northerns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009/10–2010/11 | Southern Rocks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011/12–2016/17 | Mashonaland Eagles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Chittagong Vikings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017/18–2019/20 | Matabeleland Tuskers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Southern Rocks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Dambulla Aura | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 : 2025-present | Lahore Qalandars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023-present | Punjab Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Northamptonshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Manchester Originals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: ESPN Cricinfo, 19 August 2024
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sikandar Raza Butt, born on April 24, 1986, is a famous international cricket player from Zimbabwe. He was born in Pakistan. Sikandar is known as an all-rounder because he is great at both batting and bowling. He bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-spin. He started playing for Zimbabwe in May 2013. He is also the first player from Zimbabwe to score a century (100 runs) in a T20 International match!
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Dreams
Sikandar Raza was born in Sialkot, Pakistan. His family speaks Punjabi and has Kashmiri roots. When he was younger, he dreamed of becoming a pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. He even studied at a special school for three years. However, he couldn't become a pilot because he didn't pass a vision test.
In 2002, Sikandar and his family moved to Zimbabwe. Later, he went to Scotland to study software engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University. While in Scotland, he played semi-professional cricket. This is where he started to realize how good he was at the sport.
Playing for Clubs and Franchises
After moving to Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza began playing first-class cricket. This is a long form of cricket played over several days. He started with the Northerns team in 2007. He quickly became a successful first-class player, once scoring 146 runs in a single game.
Sikandar also played in shorter cricket formats, like List A and Twenty20 (T20) matches. He became known as a T20 specialist. In 2010, he was the top run-scorer in a big T20 competition. His strong performances helped his team, Southern Rocks, win a championship in 2010.
His talent caught the eye of the Zimbabwean cricket selectors. He was even considered for the 2011 Cricket World Cup squad. However, he wasn't a Zimbabwean citizen yet. He finally got his citizenship in September 2011. This allowed him to play for the national team.
Over the years, Sikandar Raza has played for many different cricket teams around the world. These include teams in the Bangladesh Premier League, Mzansi Super League, Caribbean Premier League, and Pakistan Super League.
Playing in the IPL
In December 2022, Sikandar Raza was chosen by the Punjab Kings team for the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). This is a very popular T20 cricket league in India. He made his IPL debut on April 1, 2023.
On April 15, 2023, he scored his first IPL half-century (50 runs). He made 57 runs from 41 balls. His amazing batting helped his team win the match. With this, he became the first player from Zimbabwe to score a half-century in the IPL.
International Cricket Career
Sikandar Raza made his debut for Zimbabwe in One Day International (ODI) cricket in May 2013. This was against Bangladesh. He then made his Test debut in September 2013 against Pakistan. In his first Test match, he scored 60 runs.
He made his T20 International (T20I) debut in November 2013. He is known for being a strong all-rounder, helping his team with both batting and bowling.
Key Moments and Achievements
In July 2014, Sikandar Raza scored his first ODI century. He made 141 runs while opening the batting against Afghanistan. This was the highest score by a Zimbabwean in an ODI run chase at the time. He and Hamilton Masakadza also set a record for the highest opening partnership for Zimbabwe, scoring 224 runs together.
Sikandar was part of Zimbabwe's team for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He even captained Zimbabwe in a T20I match against India in 2015, leading them to a win.
In 2017, he helped Zimbabwe win an ODI series against Sri Lanka. This was a big achievement for Zimbabwe. In the same tour, he scored his first Test century. Later that year, he took his first five-wicket haul (5 wickets in an innings) in a Test match against West Indies. He also scored two half-centuries in that match. This made him only the second player ever to score 80+ runs in both innings and take a five-wicket haul in a Test.
Player of the Tournament Awards
In 2018, Sikandar Raza was named one of the top players to watch in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament. He performed incredibly well, scoring 319 runs and taking 15 wickets. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament. However, Zimbabwe did not qualify for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which made him very sad.
In July 2022, he was again named Player of the Tournament in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B. He helped Zimbabwe qualify for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In the final, he took 4 wickets for only 8 runs, helping Zimbabwe win.
Recent Successes
In August 2022, Sikandar Raza had an amazing series against Bangladesh. He scored an unbeaten 135 runs in the first ODI, helping Zimbabwe win a big run chase. This was the highest score by a number 5 or lower batsman in a successful ODI run chase. He scored another century in the next match, becoming the first Zimbabwean to score two centuries in a row in successful ODI chases. He was named Player of the Series for his fantastic all-round performance.
Later in August 2022, he scored 115 runs off just 95 balls against India. This was a brilliant innings, almost leading Zimbabwe to a famous victory. He joined an elite group of players who have scored many ODI centuries in run chases in a single year.
On June 20, 2023, during a World Cup Qualifier match, Sikandar Raza showed his all-round skills again. He took 4 wickets and then scored his fastest ODI century for Zimbabwe, making 102 runs from just 54 balls. This helped Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets, and he won the Player of the Match award.
On October 23, 2024, Sikandar Raza made history. He became the first Zimbabwean player to score a century in a T20 International match. He scored an amazing 133 runs not out from just 43 balls against The Gambia.
See also
In Spanish: Sikandar Raza para niños
