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LAHORE. — The Lahore Qalandars franchise cricket team has made a big change to their roster, adding Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza as a replacement for Mohammad Hafeez.
Raza has made a name for himself in recent years with his impressive performances and effective bowling style, which features a hidden ball technique.
The 36-year-old’s inclusion in the Lahore Qalandars line-up is expected to bring a new level of energy and skill to the team.
With his ability to contribute both with the bat and ball, Raza is poised to make a big impact in the upcoming cricket season.
“Lahore Qalandars has picked Sikandar Raza as a replacement for Mohammad Hafeez. Sikandar has become very effective with the ball with the change in his action where he hides the ball. Sikandar has been superb with his performances since last two years,” said Aaqib Javed.
The Lahore Qalandars hope Raza’s inclusion can help bring them closer to their goal of winning the Pakistan Super League, where top franchise cricket teams compete for the top prize worldwide.
The addition of Raza to the lineup will make the Lahore Qalandars a force to be reckoned with in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Raza, who plays as a batting all-rounder, has received permission from Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) to skip the upcoming Test series against the West Indies to feature in the International League T20 (ILT20) 2023 in the United Arab Emirates. Raza performed exceptionally well for Zimbabwe in 2022 and consistently delivered match-winning performances.
He was recently included in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2022 and the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2022.
He recently missed the T20I series against Ireland due to franchise cricket commitments in the UAE and Bangladesh but returned to the squad for the ODI series against Ireland.
The 36-year-old, however, is once again set to miss two crucial Tests against the West Indies. The first Test is set to be played from February 4 to 8 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and the second Test is set to be played from February 12 to 16 at the same venue.
Raza took to Facebook to confirm that Zimbabwe Cricket have permitted him to play for the Dubai Capitals (DC) in the International League T20 (ILT20) that clashes directly with the Test series between Zimbabwe and the West Indies.
“It’s been great to be back home and wear the #national jersey Time to head back to #dubai for ILT20Official and join my Dubai Capitals family. See you soon #Inshallah,” Raza wrote on his Facebook page. Raza not being available for the West Indies Test series is a big blow to Zimbabwe as they are already without the services of key players like Sean Williams, Blessing Muzarabani and Regis Chakabva.
ICC ODI Team of the Year:
Babar Azam (C, Pak), Travis Head (Aus), Shai Hope (WI), Shreyas Iyer (Ind), Tom Latham (NZ), Sikandar Raza (Zim), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Ban), Alzarri Joseph (WI), Mohammed Siraj (Ind), Trent Boult (NZ), Adam Zampa (Aus)
ICC T20I Team of the Year:
Jos Buttler (C, Eng), Mohammad Rizwan (Pak), Virat Kohli (Ind), Suryakumar Yadav (Ind), Glenn Phillips (NZ), Sikandar Raza (Zim), Hardik Pandya (Ind), Sam Curran (Eng), Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Haris Rauf (Pak), Josh Little (Ire) — Cricketaddictor.com
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