Sikandar Raza facts for kids
Raza during 2022 T20 World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Sikandar Raza Butt
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| Born | 24 April 1986 Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 89) | 3 September 2013 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 22 May 2025 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 116) | 3 May 2013 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 18 February 2025 v Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 36) | 11 May 2013 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 25 February 2025 v Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Chittagong Vikings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017/18–2019/20 | Matabeleland Tuskers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023-2025 | Lahore Qalandars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023-2024 | Punjab Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 12 April 2025
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Sikandar Raza Butt, born on April 24, 1986, is a talented international cricket player from Zimbabwe. He was born in Pakistan. Sikandar is known as an all-rounder, which means he is great at both batting (hitting the ball) and bowling (throwing the ball). He bats with his right hand and bowls with his right arm, using a style called off-spin. Sikandar first played for Zimbabwe internationally in May 2013. He made history by becoming the first player from Zimbabwe to score a century (100 runs) in a Twenty20 International (T20I) match. He is also the current captain of Zimbabwe's T20I team.
Contents
Sikandar Raza's Early Life
Sikandar Raza was born in Sialkot, Pakistan. His family spoke Punjabi and were Kashmiri Muslims. He attended the Pakistan Air Force Public School Lower Topa for three years. His dream was to become a pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. However, he could not join because he failed a vision test.
In 2002, Raza 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 realized how good he could be at the sport. In 2006, he scored three T20 centuries for Weirs CC.
Playing for Domestic Teams
After Zimbabwe's cricket structure changed in 2009, Raza started playing first-class cricket. He played for the Mashonaland Eagles. His first-class debut was on April 12, 2007, for Northerns. He has been a very successful first-class player, with his highest score being 146 runs.
Raza also played List A cricket, first for Northerns and then for Mashonaland Eagles. He made his List A debut in 2007. His Twenty20 debut was in 2010 for the Southern Rocks. He became a T20 specialist and was the top run-scorer in the 2010 Stanbic Bank T20 Competition.
In 2010, Raza scored 44 runs in the Metbank Pro40 Championship Final. This helped Southern Rocks win the title. This performance caught the attention of cricket selectors. In January 2011, he achieved his best List-A score of 80 runs.
Joining the National Squad
Raza's strong performances earned him a spot in Zimbabwe's training squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. However, he did not make it into the final team. He continued to play well, including a 161-run opening partnership with Chamu Chibhabha for Southern Rocks. This led to him being selected for a training squad against Australia A and South Africa A.
At that time, Raza did not have Zimbabwean citizenship. He was granted citizenship in September 2011. After this, he had another great game, scoring 93 runs off just 48 balls for Southern Rocks. He even opened the innings with the famous West Indian player Brian Lara.
Playing in T20 Leagues
Sikandar Raza has played for many T20 franchise teams around the world.
- In June 2018, he was chosen to play for the Montreal Tigers in the Global T20 Canada tournament.
- In October 2018, he joined the Tshwane Spartans for the Mzansi Super League.
- Later that month, he was picked for the Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League.
- In July 2019, he was selected for the Amsterdam Knights in the Euro T20 Slam, but the tournament was later cancelled.
- In July 2020, he joined the Trinbago Knight Riders for the Caribbean Premier League.
- In December 2022, the Lahore Qalandars picked him for the Pakistan Super League.
- Also in December 2022, the Punjab Kings bought him for the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his IPL debut on April 1, 2023, scoring 16 runs and taking a wicket. On April 15, 2023, he scored his first IPL half-century (57 runs), helping his team win. He was the first Zimbabwean player to score an IPL half-century.
Sikandar Raza's International Career
Raza made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Zimbabwe in May 2013 against Bangladesh. He scored three runs in that match. He was the 116th player to play for Zimbabwe in this format. He was also the first player not born in Zimbabwe to represent the country internationally.
In his fourth ODI match, in 2013, Raza scored 82 runs against India. He made his Test debut on September 3, 2013, scoring 60 runs against Pakistan. He had a 127-run partnership with Malcolm Waller in that game.
T20I Debut and First Century
Raza made his T20I debut on November 5, 2013, against Bangladesh. He scored his first ODI century in July 2014 against Afghanistan. He scored 141 runs while opening the batting, helping Zimbabwe win easily. This was the highest individual score by a Zimbabwean batsman in a successful ODI run chase. He and Hamilton Masakadza also set a record 224-run opening partnership for Zimbabwe in ODIs.
He was part of Zimbabwe's team for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Although his batting was not as expected, his bowling impressed many. In 2015, Raza was the stand-in captain for a T20I match against India. He led Zimbabwe to a 10-run victory, their first win of that tour.
Key Performances and Awards
During the 2016–17 Zimbabwe Tri-Series, Raza and Tendai Chisoro set a record 9th-wicket partnership of 91 runs for Zimbabwe in ODIs. This helped Zimbabwe beat West Indies by 5 runs. Raza remained unbeaten with 76 runs.
A major highlight of Raza's career was during Zimbabwe's tour to Sri Lanka in 2017. He helped Zimbabwe win the final ODI to seal the series 3–2. This was Zimbabwe's first series win against Sri Lanka and their first away series win since 2009. Raza won the man of the match award for his important batting in the final ODI. In the same tour, he scored his first Test century.
In a Test match against West Indies in 2017, Raza took his first five-wicket haul (taking five wickets in an innings). He also scored over 80 runs in both innings of the match. This made him only the second Test cricketer ever to do both. His all-round performance helped Zimbabwe draw the match, which was their first draw in 12 years. He won the man of the match award for this.
In February 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Raza as one of the top players to watch in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. He won the Player of the Tournament award for scoring 319 runs and taking 15 wickets. However, Zimbabwe did not qualify for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Raza expressed his disappointment, saying the team had "broken the hearts of 15 million Zimbabweans."
Recent Achievements
In January 2020, in a Test match against Sri Lanka, Raza achieved the second-best bowling figures for a Zimbabwean bowler in Test cricket, taking 7 wickets for 113 runs. On March 6, 2020, he played his 100th ODI match against Bangladesh.
In April 2021, Raza faced a health challenge when he suffered a bone marrow infection. His international career was uncertain for a while. However, he recovered and returned to play for Zimbabwe in July 2021.
In July 2022, Raza was a key player in Zimbabwe's success at the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B. Zimbabwe won the tournament, beating the Netherlands in the final, and qualified for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Raza was named player of the match in the final for his excellent bowling, taking 4 wickets for just 8 runs. He also won the Player of the Tournament award for his all-round skills.
In August 2022, Raza scored an unbeaten 135 runs against Bangladesh, helping Zimbabwe win their first ODI against Bangladesh since 2013. This was the highest score by a batsman batting at number 5 or lower in a successful ODI run chase. He and Innocent Kaia both scored centuries in the same match, a rare feat for Zimbabwe. Raza scored another century in the next ODI, becoming the first Zimbabwean to score two consecutive centuries in successful ODI chases. He won the player of the series award for his amazing performances.
Later in August 2022, against India, Raza played an incredible innings, scoring 115 runs off just 95 balls. Even though Zimbabwe lost, his century brought them very close to a famous victory. He joined an elite group of players who have scored many ODI centuries in run chases in a single year. All three of his centuries in 2022 came in run chases in August.
On June 20, 2023, in a 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier match against the Netherlands, Raza showed his all-round talent. He took 4 wickets while bowling. Then, while chasing 315 runs, he scored his 7th and fastest ODI century for Zimbabwe, making 102 runs from just 54 balls. He helped Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets and earned the player of the match award.
On October 23, 2024, Raza became the first Zimbabwe player to score a T20I century. He made 133 not out off 43 balls against The Gambia during a qualifying tournament in Kenya.
See also
In Spanish: Sikandar Raza para niños
