Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
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 T20I half century was a clean, fearless knock that kept Sharjah Warriors in the contest, yet they still slipped to a four-run loss to the 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 lost both opening fixtures.
Sharjah 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- 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 48-3 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.
Raza and the Warriors now move on to a date with Gulf Giants in Dubai tomorrow.
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.
