Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S T20I captain Sikandar Raza stepped into the SA20 with more than a kit bag and a number on his back; he carried a private weight that would buckle most men. Beneath the composure of a seasoned international, there was a brother grieving, a cricketer learning to breathe through loss and still find the ball’s seam with the same hunger.
The Chevrons stalwart’s younger brother, Muhammad Mahdi, passed away on December 29, 2025 in Harare and was laid to rest the following day. Four days later, Raza took the field for Paarl Royals, and amid the ache he delivered a debut worthy of folklore, the sort of performance that stitches pain to purpose and leaves the crowd hushed even as they roar.
A passionate and emotional Raza marked his first SA20 appearance with figures of 3 for 27, his spell threading through MI Cape Town’s chase like a quiet storm. The Royals edged an one run victory, and beyond the wickets there was the telling detail: an important catch clasped low, a glance skyward, a celebration that said more than words could carry.
After his debut, Raza explained the pact he had made with himself and his teammates, a promise of honesty and effort, not sentiment.
“I had a chat with the team, and I said that I would always respect the fact that you have given us your love, your support, your condolences, but I am not here to take energy from you. I am not here to take anything from you, so we are happy to put that aside, and I will give as much as I can to this team. If I wasn’t ready physically, mentally or emotionally I wouldn’t be here. The fact that I’m here, I can promise you I will give you everything. I will try and do my best, that’s all I can say,” said Raza (via ESPNCricinfo).
True to that vow, he has become the heartbeat of Paarl Royals, a favourite not merely for wickets but for the way he carries himself when the game tightens. In his second outing, again against MI Cape Town, he sharpened the point of his influence: four wickets for 13, three catches clasped, the match award in his palm, and the Royals completing a timely double over their rivals. On Thursday, against Joburg Super Kings, Raza once more leaned into the craft — two scalps, both weighted with consequence — unspooling a spell that altered the rhythm of the chase.
He split a 73-run opening stand with the sort of delivery bowlers dream about and batters dread. Faf du Plessis, playing down the wrong line, beaten by a ball that turned late and honest, departing for 39. Then came Matthew de Villiers, held at 30 from 22, Raza’s second wicket and the team’s second breach in the wall. He closed with 2 for 26 from four, the Royals’ most successful bowler on the night as Nqobani Mokoena, Hardus Viljoen and Mujeeb Ur Rahman each chipped in with one. The Super Kings were held to 187 for 6 from their 20 overs, only for the weather to take the final say and the game to be abandoned, a curtain drawn by the Cape’s caprice.
Having missed the opening pair of matches, Raza has ascended the tournament’s ledger with startling haste, rising to joint second in the wicket taking stakes. In three matches, he has plucked nine wickets at an average that makes statisticians blink — 7.33 — while his teammate Ottneil Baartman heads the list with 11 from four.
Numbers, though, only tell half the tale. The other half is the feel: the way his spell compresses a contest, the way his celebration exudes gratitude without indulgence, the way grief becomes fuel rather than anchor. In becoming the first Zimbabwean to appear in the SA20, Raza has turned a personal homage into a public masterclass, honouring his brother by giving everything to the game he loves.
Next, the Royals return to Paarl, the vineyards and mountains framing another chapter, as Pretoria Capitals arrive this afternoon. Three wins, one defeat and one no result from five have yielded 15 points and momentum with a human pulse — form built on skill, spirit and the kind of resolve that can’t be coached. For Raza, each over now carries a private echo; for the Royals, each match carries a sense of occasion.
And for those who watch, there is the quiet understanding that sometimes cricket is more than bat and ball — it is how a man stands up in the wind and keeps going, one delivery at a time.
