Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S T20I captain Sikandar Raza walked off the Sharjah Cricket Stadium with another fifty to his name and a reminder of how often he carries the teams he plays for. His 37th T20 half-century was a clean, fearless knock that kept Sharjah Warriors in the contest, yet they still slipped to a four-run loss to Mumbai Indians Emirates in their second ILT20 outing on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates.
Raza top-scored with 64 in a chase that always felt tight. His effort gave the Warriors a real chance to turn their week around, although the result underlined a slow start to the campaign. They have now dropped both opening fixtures.
Sharjah had sent Mumbai in to bat and controlled parts of the innings. The visitors finished on 185 for 8 in their 20 overs. Raza’s team replied with 181 for 7 and left the field knowing how close they had come.
With the ball, Raza sent down three tidy overs for 22 runs while Adil Rashid led the attack with three wickets. The real weight of the night came with the bat. Raza walked in during the sixth over with the score on 48 for 3 moments after Tim David fell for 13.
He steadied the chase with Tom Kohler Cadmore and the pair produced a 103-run stand that dragged the contest deep into the final overs.
Raza’s 64 came off 33 balls and included three fours and five sixes before he was trapped in front in the 16th over. His latest burst also pushed his career tally to 301 T20 sixes.
His form has followed him across borders. A week ago in Pakistan, he climbed to number one on the ICC T20 International all-rounder rankings, a marker of a career built on work, resilience and late bloom.
“We congratulate Sikandar on his remarkable achievements, including recently becoming the world’s number one T20I all-rounder. He has shown time and again that he is a brilliant, world-class all-rounder in white ball cricket. His dedication, consistency and ability to deliver under pressure inspire not only his teammates but every cricket fan in Zimbabwe. Sikandar truly embodies the spirit of our game and is a remarkable ambassador for Zimbabwe cricket,” said Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director, Givemore Makoni.
Raza and the Warriors now move on to a Wednesday date with Gulf Giants in Dubai.
They have beaten the Giants once in their last four meetings. Gulf Giants head into the match with two wins from two and look settled early in the season. Play starts at 4PM. — @brandon_malvin
