The day Raza met the President!

Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub

SIKANDA RAZA’s dream car is a toss-up between a Mercedes-AMG G63 or one of the many luxury sports utility vehicles (SUVs) out there.

The Zimbabwe T20 captain’s actual preference wavers on a day-by-day basis when it comes to his favourite car among those that occupy his garage presently.

Well, that one is a bit more clear-cut.

That distinction belongs to the red Ford Ranger Wildtrak.

“I pray that Allah blesses me with my dream car, one day,” said Raza

“However, when it comes to my favourite car, presently, yes that one is my favourite by a long mile.

“It is the car with the most meaning.”

The car in question happens to be the one gifted to the Zimbabwe Chevrons skipper by President Mnangagwa late last year.

Raza was one of many of the country’s top sportspersons gifted with a car as an early Christmas present by the President.

These were rewards for their achievements in their respective sports in 2025.

Among them are the likes of footballer and Herentals Queens captain Tabeth Mutinhiri.

Just over a year ago, a devastating ankle injury threatened to end her football career.

However, through resilience and support, she not only returned to the pitch, but also led her team to a historic fourth consecutive Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League title.

Former Dynamos captain Emmanuel Jalai was another recipient.

Despite now turning out for Betways Premiership outfit Durban City, Jalai received a car after leading Harare giants Dynamos to a record third Chibuku Super Cup victory.

Dynamos claimed their third Chibuku Super Cup title after a 1-0 win in the final against Triangle at Gibbo Stadium.

Walter Musona, captain of the sensational debutants Scottland, also received a vehicle for steering his team to a podium finish in their first Premier Soccer League season.

For Raza, in particular, the car is truly a career highlight.

And given his many achievements during his decade-run in the sport, recognition from the highest office in the country means more to the 39-year-old than any ranking, plaque, milestone or match-winning six.

“It would have been very easy for me to just go to the State House, collect the car and go about my way, but what I am really grateful and honoured about is the fact that His Excellency took some time out from his busy schedule and spent a few minutes with me to talk,” said Raza.

“His kind words to me and how much he’s invested in cricket made the moment even more special.

“The questions he had for me, the information he already had about cricket and how he wants to support all sports made this a career highlight for me.”

Since he broke out onto the scene back in 2013, Raza’s career has been nothing short of spectacular.

He has travelled the world, played at some of the top international venues and against some of the biggest names.

The President left him in awe.

“It’s not just about the gift, but the recognition from the highest office in the country that has left me in awe” he said.

“I am very grateful for the car, which is a blessing, but for me, the respect and recognition went far and beyond any gift.

“So, I’m really grateful, honoured and humbled by the gesture.”

While he could not go into detail on his actual conversation with the President, Raza did hint at a few nuggets.

He was humbled to find out about the President’s in-depth knowledge of the sport and his career.

According to Raza, plans are afoot to make sure that infrastructure is up to standard when Zimbabwe co-host the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup next year.

The President even knew about his recent milestone, as Raza recently became the first Zimbabwean to be ranked as a number one in the world in two formats.

He was, for a very short time, ranked as the number one all-rounder in both T20 and One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

He has since dropped to number two in the ODIs, behind Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, but remains top in T20.

On the milestones, Raza said the rankings had done nothing but push him to play and work harder.

“It is truly humbling to be ranked number one and put the country on the map,” he said.

“However, it’s not like once you get there, you sit and relax. If anything, it actually pushes me to do more.

“Getting to the top is the easier part, but staying there is harder. I’m gonna try work harder and do my best to stay there and fly the nation’s flag high.”

With the ICC T20 World Cup just around the corner, Raza has the ideal platform to shine and shine brightly with some match-winning performance in India and Sri Lanka.

The 39-year-old Zimbabwe skipper flew out to Sri Lanka on Thursday last week and was expected to link up with the Chevrons in Colombo yesterday.

After a gruesome month of cricket at the SA20 tournament, Chevrons coach Justin Sammons decided to give his skipper a couple of days to rest and recuperate.

“The team has been in camp for over a week now with the exception of Ryan Burl and myself,” Raza said.

“I was in South Africa while Ryan was in Bangladesh.

“He has joined the team, but I had to come home for a few days.

“I spoke to the head coach (Sammons) and he was very accommodating. He told me that there is no substitute for match practice.

“I played 20-24 matches during the last couple of weeks and some rest to heal and recuperate,” he said.

Raza is targeting a Super Eight berth and looks to be ready to get the ball rolling now.

“The target is to qualify for the Super Eight and then we see how far we can go after that,” he said.

“It’s a big World Cup and we have some tough games ahead of us.

“However, I know when Zimbabwe play their best version of T20 cricket, we can beat any team.

“We proved that last year, and now we just need five to six consistent games of top performances and, hopefully, we will go through to the next round.”

The 39-year-old is fresh from a hugely successful SA20 competition, experience he hopes to use at the World Cup.

“It was my first time in the SA20 competition, but, hopefully, it won’t be my last,” said Raza.

“I would love to go back to South Africa, it is one fantastic league. The standard, how they organised the league and even the crowds.

“The crowds played a huge part for my enjoyment and I had a good time there. The lessons I learnt, hopefully, I will be able to share with the team and there improve them.”