Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE T20I captain Sikandar Raza, over the weekend, praised the quality of the SA20 League where he is making his debut appearance with Paarl Royals.
Raza has been outstanding for Paarl Royals in the two matches he has played, after missing the team’s opening two games at the start of the competition.
He also became the first Zimbabwean cricketer to feature in the SA20 League and wasted no time announcing himself.
In his first outing, which came four days after the death of his 13-year-old brother Muhammad Mahdi following health related complications, the Chevrons stalwart claimed three wickets for 27 runs.
He followed that with a player of the match display on Sunday, returning figures of 4/13 and taking three catches as Royals swept aside MI Cape Town.
Raza said the tournament is playing a key role in sharpening his game as the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup approaches.
“The standard of this league is pretty high. It is great for my own cricket growth and development. The way I look at it, eventually you’re going to come across a few players that you’re going to be playing against at the World Cup.
“So as much as they’ll try and find things about you, you’ll also try and find things about them. It’s also just for the cricketing growth and confidence to play in such a major league, and to see if you can have a good tour as well just before the World Cup.
“Cricket is very much a confidence game and if you can take that confidence and the knowledge about certain players and conditions and share that with the fellow Zimbabweans, then they’re not starting from scratch, they have something to build on. They don’t have to start from zero,” said Raza (via ESPNCricinfo).
Against MI Cape Town, Raza was central to everything that shaped the contest. He finished with four wickets at a tight 3.25 runs per over, cutting through the Cape Town batting line up and leaving them skittled for just 88.
It was their lowest score batting first in SA20 history and the lowest first innings total at Newlands across all four editions of the competition.
Raza and his Paarl Royals teammates return to action on Thursday when they face Super Kings in Johannesburg.
