ZIMBABWE captain Sikandar Raza has described the opportunity to play a home World Cup before retiring from international cricket as a “blessing”.
“Every cricketer dreams of having retired or to retire before he can play a World Cup. The fact that I am coming to the end of my career as well, so to have an opportunity to play a home World Cup at home is certainly a blessing for me from a personal point of view,” Raza said during the launch of the mobile game SIXR on Tuesday.
“From a collective point of view, I do think the world really needs to see what Africa has to offer, the beauty, the crowd and the vibe and everything that we have to offer in Zimbabwe, especially. The world deserves to see it. For people who will find time to travel to Zimbabwe to watch the World Cup, it will be an unforgettable experience,” he added.
The 40-year-old all-rounder also backed the new World Cup format for the tournament, arguing that teams performing well should get more opportunities to play in a global event.
Zimbabwe are in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, Australia and Afghanistan, with the final spot to be decided through a qualifying tournament ahead of the World Cup.
“I quite like the Super Seven idea. I think the teams that play well deserve to have more games at the World Cup. When it comes to Zimbabwe and the fixtures, if you look at our FTP, our board has done really well to find fixtures from here and there outside our FTP program as well. Zimbabwe Cricket has gone up and beyond for their players to play more games to be ready for whichever fixture,” he said.
Despite playing their matches at home, Raza does not expect Zimbabwe to enjoy a significant home advantage, with ICC events allowing limited scope for teams to influence playing conditions. Zimbabwe are scheduled to play across Harare, Bulawayo and a new venue in Victoria Falls.
“We will try our best to gain some home advantage, but for ICC events it’s very difficult because the curators like ICC are basically in control of everything. But yes, we will try and take some advantage where we can, fair advantage that is,” said Raza.
Zimbabwe are also looking forward to hosting matches at the Victoria Falls venue, which is expected to be inaugurated in the coming months.
Raza said the venue would offer visiting teams and fans an opportunity to experience the region beyond cricket. Zimbabwe are scheduled to face India there on October 24.
“We are really excited that our new stadium will be launched in the next few months and I do think we have fixtures there early next year as well, so we’re really looking forward,” he said.
“What we expect from Victoria Falls, as much as cricket is important, but I think outside cricket, beautiful sightings, a peaceful sleep because you can hear the falls, a lovely sunset and some great human beings and a hospitable environment for everyone,” he added.
Raza also believes Zimbabwe’s inclusion in the World Test Championship (WTC) could accelerate the country’s cricketing development.
Zimbabwe’s potential entry into the next WTC cycle is expected to be discussed at the ICC’s November meeting. Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland have not featured in the first three cycles, with the current one set to conclude in mid-2027.
“Firstly, I think if that happens(Zimbabwe part of next ICC cycle) I will be the first guy who will be in support of that. If Zimbabwe is part of WTC we might not be able to do well at the start, but one thing I do know, if we are part of that, our cricketing growth will go up. Our performances will get better in all formats,” he said.
“The reason I say that is a lot of my cricketing development that the world has seen has come through Test cricket. In early years of my career I played a lot of Test cricket as well and my cricketing development has happened through test cricket and if Zimbabwe is part of WTC, whether we might not be able to do well at the start, but one thing I do know, if we are part of that, our cricketing growth eventually, not eventually, quickly will go up, our performances will get better.
“And not just in Test cricket, I think our performances in one day and T20 cricket will get better because I feel like if you can somehow play a decent test cricket or become a decent test cricketer, the other formats become slightly easier to play in. So I’ll be the first guy to raise my hand,” he added.
However, Raza ruled out reversing his retirement plans to feature in the WTC should Zimbabwe gain entry into the competition.
“Would I be tempted? No, I will not be tempted. I have come to peace with the decisions that I am making in life. I will not be a guy who will when the time comes will call it off and then says I’m taking my retirement back. It will not happen, that’s not me,” he said. — Cricbuzz
