Online Reporter
Stanford Chiwanga, [email protected]
LET’S get one thing straight, because apparently, some people still haven’t received the memo: Sikandar Raza is as Zimbabwean as the Great Zimbabwe monuments. The endless bleating about his commitment to the Chevrons because of his Pakistani roots is not just tedious; it’s a gutless smear against a man who has poured his heart and soul into a struggling cricket nation. To suggest his commitment is anything less than absolute is to willfully ignore years of undeniable, in-your-face evidence.
Raza’s numbers alone should silence the nattering nabobs of negativity. We are talking 18 Tests, 151 ODIs, and 105 T20Is. This isn’t some fly-by-night mercenary; this is a career spanning over a decade, consistently turning out for the Chevrons. If his commitment was questionable, would he be sticking around through the lean years, the administrative shambles, and the often thankless grind of international cricket for the tier-two Chevrons? Hardly. He could have bolted for greener, wealthier pastures years ago, and frankly, who could blame him? But he didn’t. He stayed.
Look at the cold, hard facts. He has scored over 1 200 Test runs and bagged nearly 40 wickets. In ODIs, he has piled on over 4 300 runs and claimed 93 scalps. T20Is? Over 2 400 runs and 81 wickets. These are not the figures of a player with one foot out the door. These are the statistics of a workhorse, a fighter, a warrior in the mold of Mzilikazi’s general, a man utterly dedicated to performing for the badge.
And for those still clinging to the pathetic notion that his birthplace somehow diminishes his Zimbabwean spirit, let’s talk about the absolute masterclass in commitment he recently put on. Barely a week ago, Raza was batting at Trent Bridge for the Chevrons in their historic one-off Test against England. He scored a gritty 60 in the second innings.
The match might have ended in defeat for the Chevrons, but what Raza did next screams “son of the soil” louder than any passport ever could.
Less than 24 hours after that Test match concluded, Raza was on a whirlwind journey across continents. He flew, with the strength of the Zimbabwean bird, from England, touching down in Pakistan just ten minutes before the toss of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final. Think about that for a second. He had just finished international duty, endured multiple flights, and was straight into a high-pressure final for Lahore Qalandars. And what did he do? He walked out, smashed an unbeaten 22 off just seven balls, hitting the winning runs to clinch the PSL title for his team.
This was not a pre-arranged holiday; this was a man fulfilling professional obligations for both his national side and his franchise, demonstrating an astonishing level of dedication and physical endurance.
You don’t hand the reins to someone whose commitment is merely a rumour. He has captained the T20I side with aplomb, for crying out loud! When Chevrons cricket is on its knees, it’s often Raza stepping up, bailing them out, and dragging them kicking and screaming to respectability. Remember that historic ODI series win in Sri Lanka in 2017?
Raza was right at the heart of it. The 2022 T20 World Cup Qualifiers? He was the undisputed star, his all-round brilliance single-handedly dragging the Chevrons to the main event. Player of the Tournament, by the way.
So, for those still clinging to the pathetic notion that his birthplace somehow diminishes his Zimbabwean spirit, it’s time to grow up. The man moved to Zimbabwe in 2002, was granted citizenship, and has given his adult life to representing the land sandwiched between the rivers of Limpopo and Zambezi. His sweat, his toil, his centuries, his crucial wickets — and now, his trans-continental dash to deliver a trophy — they speak a far louder, far more truthful story than any outdated metal ID.
Sikandar Raza is a dedicated son of the soil. Cut him and he bleeds red, the colours of the Chevrons. End of. Next time type that. The sooner you get that into your heads, the better for everyone, especially the cricket itself. Now, can we finally move on and appreciate the player, rather than fixating on irrelevant details?
@plainstan
