Cape Town [South Africa], January 5 : Zimbabwe's veteran all-rounder Sikandar Raza opened up on being the first from his country to feature in the SA20 franchise league in South Africa, his rise in T20 circuit and how Zimbabwe is aiming to prepare well for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup by getting used to conditions in Sri Lanka well in advance before their first warm-up game.
Sikandar, playing for Paarl Royals in the league, was speaking to the media after the conclusion of his side's match with defending champions MI Cape Town. His brilliant spell of 4/13 in four overs had restricted MI Cape Town to just 88, and Paarl chased down the total with seven wickets and seven overs in hand.
Even in his debut SA20 match, while Raza could not chip in runs against MICT three days back, he still managed to take three wickets in a fantastic 27-run spell of four overs, but his side lost the game by just one run.
Speaking about being the first Zimbabwe player to feature in the league and delivering valuable contributions to his team's cause right from the start, Raza said, "That is the whole idea, and that is the point as well. If you look at the last few years as well, whenever a Zimbabwean has gone to a league, and he has done well, it has certainly opened doors for more Zimbabweans as well."
"I said that in the presser as well. I really feel blessed by the fact that I am the first Zimbabwean (to play SA20), and hopefully, my performances can open the doors for other Zimbabweans as well," he added.
Raza said that at one point in his career, he used to watch players be a part of this massive global T20 league circuit and wonder when his turn would come, and now that his time has come, he will "not take anything for granted".
"I remember there was a time when I used to look at the cricketers that used to do the circuit, and I always used to say, Allah, when would my turn come? Now that my turn is here, I am grateful for every opportunity, for every team that has signed me, and for every country I have been to. I will not take anything for granted. I used to pray for times like this. I will be forever grateful to Allah and to every single team that I have been part of," he said.
Having started his international career in 2013, Sikandar has turned into a valuable T20 match-winner with both bat and ball, having featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Punjab Kings, in the International League T20 (ILT20) in the UAE, with Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket (MLC) in USA, with Manchester Originals in men's Hundred tournament in UK amongst various other leagues. His 6,775 T20 runs and 223 wickets, most of which have come in T20 leagues, are proof of the impact Raza has left on the T20 league circuit, and the frequency of his getting T20 gigs worldwide speaks a lot to his evolution and demand as a cricketer.
Sikandar is really happy to have featured in ILT20 and SA20 before the T20 World Cup begins on February 7, saying that this amount of T20 cricket will keep him and other Zimbabwe players active in T20 leagues in a good rhythm, match readiness, before the time comes to deliver for the nation in the T20 WC.
Zimbabwe is part of Group B alongside Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Oman, and would be starting off their campaign against Oman in Colombo on February 9. He also said that the team would aim to reach Sri Lanka a week before their first warm-up game and try to get used to the conditions.
"It certainly helps. I think the more cricket we have before the World Cup, the more match fitness and rhythm we will find ourselves in. So, you know, it was nice to have three Zimbabweans at ILT20."
"Unfortunately, Blessing (Blessing Muzarabani, Zimbabwe fast bowler) was supposed to be there as well, but he got injured, and he was doing his rehab. He is fit now. So, you know, the more Zimbabweans that play cricket, it will be very good for the country, and also going into the World Cup, it will be very useful."
"We have an idea about the conditions of Sri Lanka, but I always say we will work that out once we get there. We are going to try and get there a week before the first game, try and get there a week before the first warm-up game, so that we have more time. And then we work out the conditions."
"What I always say is, if you have worked hard for every single condition, then whatever condition presents itself, you should have the skills. Or at least if you work hard, you have the skills to basically get them out of the stock and do the best as you can and leave the results to god," he concluded.
Raza went on to point out that the World Cup is "really crucial" to a cricketer's life, and for Zimbabwe to gain more respect in world cricket, it plays a big part.
"So we have the mindset to go there and try and do really well, so that we can come back with heads held high and so that our people back home can have their heads held high as well," he added.
Speaking on playing Australia during the group stage, Raza said that while they have not played Australia for a long while, they are very well aware of their dominance across all formats, including T20Is, but on a given day, "a lot of things can happen"
"We just have to train well and play with some courage and some heart, and we will see what happens after. The result looks after itself. If we are doing everything we can and we get out-skilled, then too I can hold my head high and so can my team. The results are not in our hands, and we do not worry about it too much. As long as we are playing good brand of cricket and we are doing exactly what the game asks us to do, we will leave the result," he concluded.
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