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Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
SIKANDAR Raza has starred with both the bat and ball in his hand this year.
He was outstanding in Zimbabwe’s successful bid to qualify for the T20 Cricket World Cup when he led the Chevrons to victory in the qualifiers held in Bulawayo in July.
And August wasn’t different with the Chevrons star putting in one of the most intriguing individual performances the world has ever seen when Zimbabwe faced Asian giants India and Bangladesh.
Too good has been Raza’s individual brilliance he has been rewarded with a nomination in the three-man shortlist for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month for August.
The nominees were released yesterday by the ICC.
All-rounder Raza clipped three centuries in a remarkable month that saw him grabbing global headlines.
That all the three centuries came when the chips were down for Zimbabwe made the feat more resounding.
Zimbabwe were nervous and looked unconvincing at 62/3 and chasing 304 runs in their ODI opener against Bangladesh.
Then came Raza along with Innocent Kaia stitched in the fourth wicket stand that produced an incredible 192 runs.
He punched the most remaining unbeaten on 135 off 109 balls as Zimbabwe folded the Tigers.
Raza emerged the hero again in the match that followed when Zimbabwe looked desperate and unable to navigate their way at 49/4 and chasing 292.
He partnered Regis Chakabva as he notched 117 (not out) while facing 127 balls.
Zimbabwe won the match to take to the driving seat as they set an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Then, Raza was outstanding with the ball in his hand in the third and final ODI recording 3/56. Raza almost pulled it off in the final ODI against India as well but unlike the previous occasions, found little support from the other end. Chasing 290, he was at the crease until the penultimate over. The 95-ball 115 went in vain as India held their nerve in the final stages to complete a whitewash. And cricket fans in the country are tipping him to win the gong over fellow nominees Ben Stokes, who is England Test captain, and Mitchell Santner of New Zealand. “Raza deserves it. Look at what he did in August with the Chevrons. He never flawed. He is one of the main reasons cricket fans flocked the Harare Sports Club in that month,” said Patience Musa.
“For once, cricket fans had every reason to be at the venue and cheer their players on. I think Raza deserves it over Stokes and the other one (Santner)”. Gerald Simbi said Raza should be honoured particularly due to his ability to defy the odds.
“If you look at it closely, Raza did well when the team seemed destined for defeat. It was a marvelous month for him and without any iota of doubt, Raza should win the prize for ICC Player of the Month of August,” he said.
Another ardent cricket fan, Fainos Murehwa, believes the nomination alone is something big for the country.
“Look, as a country, we should also celebrate the nomination. It means a lot for Zimbabwe. Just imagine how it feels to have one of our own being short-listed for such a prestigious award out of thousands of players around the globe,” he said.
“That shows we have competitive players who are good enough and we should be proud to have him there. If he goes all the way and wins the prize, that’s a bonus and we also up our celebrations.”
The Zimbabwean will battle it out against two other extraordinary all-rounders — England Test captain Stokes and Santner of New Zealand.
Stokes, one of the biggest names in the cricket world, played a crucial role in his side’s comeback in the ongoing series at home against South Africa.
“In the second Test at Manchester, Stokes broke the back of the South African middle-order with the wickets of Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen as the visitors were knocked over for 151.
“He followed it up with a brilliant century that came when England were in a spot of bother having lost early wickets on day two. His knock of 103 was studded with six boundaries and three sixes, helping his side attain a massive lead of 264,” noted ICC on their website yesterday. “In the second innings, Stokes broke the stubborn 87-run stand between Rassie and Keegan Petersen. He accounted for both their wickets in a quick span to set up an innings win and level the series 1-1.
Prior to that, in the first Test, Stokes scored a handy 40 runs in total and also picked up three wickets but that wasn’t enough to stop his side from slipping to an innings defeat at Lord’s.”
On the other hand, Santner enjoyed an incredible month playing a crucial role in the Black Caps’ six wins out of eight in the month.
After a quiet showing in the first game of the series against the Netherlands, Santner, the captain for the series, promoted himself up the order to No.3 in the second T20I and blasted a 42-ball 77* as New Zealand chased down 150 with six overs to spare.
The star all-rounder carried his form over to the Caribbean as he picked up three wickets each in the first two T20Is to help wrap up the series with a game to spare. In the first two ODIs, Santner played two handy knocks with the bat. He picked up two wickets in the final ODI and was adjudged the Player of the Series for his all-round exploits.
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