By Diptayan Hazra

Sharjah [Abu Dhabi], December 19 : Zimbabwe all-rounder and Sharjah Warriors star Sikandar Raza believes his national side has a genuine chance of producing memorable moments at the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, drawing confidence from their growing exposure to international cricket and past giant-killing performances.

Zimbabwe have scripted some iconic wins in T20 World Cup history, including victories over Australia and Pakistan, and Raza feels that pedigree still counts.

"Yeah, I sincerely think and I hope and I pray that Zimbabwe has a very good chance of doing, pulling off some very good results at the T20 World Cup," Raza told ANI.

One of the biggest positives for Zimbabwe in recent times has been the volume of cricket they have played across formats, something the team lacked for several years. Raza believes this has been a game-changer, both in terms of performance and visibility.

"I think most importantly what it has done, it has allowed us to have a bigger pool of players," he explained.

"Because we had so many games this year and even last year, if you add all those two years, we've had so many games that it has allowed us to try and give opportunities to the deserving guys, who unfortunately we couldn't maybe a few years ago because we had such limited sort of fixtures that we could only have 15 to 16 guys because we'll play a series and after three months' play another one, after two months' play another series," he noted.

Raza highlighted how regular series have helped Zimbabwe identify players who are ready for international cricket.

"This year every second month we had a series, we had back-to-back series as well. So, it has allowed us to have a bigger pool of players and also allowed us to have a look at the guys who are international ready, who are the players of national interest, who has potential," he said, adding that the increased schedule has helped Zimbabwe become "more visible to the world".

"Zimbabwe is there and also pulled off some very good wins and also lastly and most importantly have a bigger pool of players," he added.

With discussions ongoing about expanding the World Test Championship (WTC) to include all Test-playing nations from the next cycle, Raza welcomed the possibility of Zimbabwe taking on the best in the longest format.

"I think Zimbabwe do and I think Zimbabweans should feel confident taking on the WTC challenges because there's only one way to find out," he said.

"If you're not in it, then you don't know how good you are or how far you are. So, there's only one way to find out and that's to be in it," he noted.

"Whether I'm there or not, we'll see about that but yeah, as far as Zimbabwe is concerned, I know we're all very excited to be part of WTC if it gets extended," he added.

Speaking about the next generation, Raza was full of praise for young batter Brian Bennett, who has impressed consistently over the past couple of seasons.

"Certainly a very good prospect, a very consistent, a level-headed, good understanding of the game," Raza said.

"With every tour, with every game, his graph is going up. So, certainly he is among the couple of other boys who would be the face of Zimbabwe cricket in the years to come," he noted.

Raza also credited franchise cricket for playing a major role in his development and in the evolution of modern-day cricket.

"Franchise cricket has helped me a lot. Just to be in the changing room with some of the legends of the game and players from so many other countries," he said.

"I think franchise cricket has helped international cricket as well. The scores after the introduction of franchise cricket have been higher than what it was before, because the confidence that the new shots are coming. So, you know, I do generally think that in my growth, franchise cricket has helped a lot but not just in mine, a lot of other cricketers and if anything, I think franchise cricket has also helped international cricket to be more exciting," Raza noted.

On the role of the International League T20 (ILT20) in developing cricket in the Middle East, Raza was equally optimistic.

"Oh, certainly, because you can see the potential of this league," he said.

"I think we've got Gulf boys here as well, so that'll be really good for their growth," he noted.

"Also, ILT20 has given opportunities to the African associate nations as well. We have Sierra Leone, Botswana, Uganda, Mozambique. So, that is another really positive thing ILT20 has done," he added.

He also pointed to Saudi Arabia's association with the league as a strong sign for the future.

"I think Saudi Arabia has decided to join hands with ILT20, which gives a great indication that this league is going to get better and stronger," Raza said.

"So, yeah, I do think ILT20 is going to help Middle Eastern cricket really, really much so," he added.

Having been part of the ILT20 since its inception, Raza spoke warmly about his association with the tournament and his current franchise.

"I've been associated with ILT20 for the past three years. This is my fourth year in ILT20," he said.

Now representing Sharjah Warriors, Raza is enjoying the multicultural environment.

"Ten overseas guys playing in one team. I've always enjoyed Dubai, I've always enjoyed this tournament. This year, I'm part of Sharjah Warriors. I've known a lot of the boys before this, which includes Hitesh (Parekh), Soham (Mangesh), Kshemal (Waingankar) bhai to some extent. A lot of the players that are here, I've played against and with them but some players I'm playing with for the first time. It's quite nice. We've got 13 nationalities here. It's quite nice to make new friends and make new memories," he said.

Assessing the Warriors' campaign so far, Raza admitted it has been a mixed run, with two wins and three losses, but felt the team is building momentum at the right time.

"We lost three in a row, but we were very optimistic because it's how we went about our business," he said.

"We were losing the last two games in the very last over, last ball. We were very close," he noted.

With back-to-back wins under their belt, Raza is hopeful the team can sustain the momentum.

"Now that we've managed to pull ourselves back in and we've won two in a row now, I'm hoping we can carry on with this momentum and try and get as many wins as we can," he said.

"Because a bad game is never too far away," he added.

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