Sikandar Raza Butt born 24 April 1986is a Pakistani-born Zimbabwean international cricketer. Sikandar Raza is known for his versatile skills in both batting and bowling. He is an all-rounder, who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-spin.
Full Name: Sikandar Raza Butt
Date of Birth: April 24, 1986
Place of Birth: Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan
Father: Tasadaq Hussain Raza
Brother: Taimoor Raza Butt
Nationality: Zimbabwean (originally from Pakistan)
Batting Style: Right-handed batsman
Bowling Style: Right-arm off-spin
Early Life and Background
Raza was born in Sialkot to a Punjabi family. He studied at the Pakistan Air Force Public School Lower Topa for three years and aspired to be a Pakistan Air Force pilot.
In 2002 Sikandar Raza moved to Zimbabwe with his family. He attended Scotland’s Glasgow Caledonian University, where he studied software engineering. However, his passion for cricket overshadowed his academic pursuits, leading him to pursue a career in the sport.
Domestic Career
After the revamping of Zimbabwe’s domestic structure in 2009, Raza made his mark in Zimbabwe’s domestic cricket scene through impressive performances. He began his career with the Mashonaland Eagles and later played for the Southern Rocks and Matabeleland Tuskers. He made his first-class debut on 12 April 2007 for Northerns against Easterns during the 2007 Logan Cup.
Raza’s performances earned him a place in the preliminary squad for Zimbabwe’s 2011 Cricket World Cup campaign, but he did not make it to the final 15-man squad.
International Career
- ODI Debut: May 3, 2013, against Bangladesh
Raza made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in May 2013 against Bangladesh and scored only three runs batting at number three.
- T20I Debut: May 11, 2013, against Bangladesh
Raza made his T20I debut on 5 November 2013 against Bangladesh. He is also the youngest person to hit a fifty in T20I.
- Test Debut: September 3, 2013, against Pakistan
He made his test debut on 3 September 2013 and scored 60 runs against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club, in which he had a 127-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Malcolm Waller.
Notable Performances and Achievements
- Test Cricket: Raza has played crucial innings for Zimbabwe, including a career-best 127 runs against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2017.
- ODI Cricket: He has been a consistent performer, with several centuries and fifties to his name. His all-round abilities have often been a key factor in Zimbabwe’s limited-overs matches.
- T20I Cricket: Known for his explosive batting and useful off-spin, Raza has played important roles in many T20 matches for Zimbabwe.
- Raza was named captain in the second T20I during the India tour of Zimbabwe in 2015.
- Raza became the first player to score three ODI centuries in ODI run chases in the same month of a calendar year as all three of his centuries in 2022 came in run chases in August.
- As a brand Sikandar Raza has also featured in international publications such as GQ South Africa.
- On 20 June 2023, a qualifier match against the Netherlands, he secured the fastest ODI century for Zimbabwe. He scored an unbeaten 102 runs from 54 deliveries.
- Sikandar Raza has also played in various T20 leagues around the world, including Pakistan Super League (PSL)Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
Sikandar Raza Stats
Sikandar Raza Social Media
Conclusion
As of 2024, Raza continues to be an integral part of the Zimbabwean cricket team, contributing both with the bat and ball across formats. He remains a key player in Zimbabwe’s quest for resurgence on the international cricket stage
