‘I was scared that cricket was over for me’: Sikandar Raza’s journey- From a tumour threat to winning against his ‘motherland’ Pakan

A day after Zimbabwe stunned Pakan, pushing them to the brink of an early elimination from the T20 World Cup, the team hasn’t had much time to celebrate. They had to take the long flight from Perth to Brisbane – from the Western Australian coast to the eastern seaboard – to face Bangladesh. Sikandar Raza, whose three wickets helped Zimbabwe to the nail-biting victory, spoke to The Indian Express about the win, his performance, and his career in general.

Incredible group this!
Thanks for the continuous support to Chevrons from home and abroad
Next destination Brisbane#t20worldcup #t20 #zimvspak #zimbabwe #visitzimbabwe #cricket #chevrons #alhamdulillah #alwaysalhamdulillah #inshaallah #prayers #grateful pic.twitter.com/Ow3VWSRYI8
— Sikandar Raza (@SRazaB24) October 28, 2022
EXCERPTS:
Has the win against Pakan sunk in?
It hasn’t. Actually, it’s hard to sink in. There has been a series of events which has been hard to sink in for the past few weeks. Nobody thought we would qualify (for the Super 12 stage). When we won in Hobart and qualified, then too it took time to sink in. Now we saw the beautiful Stadium in Perth and now going to the ’Gabba (Brisbane), playing with the big boys, these moments are still hard to sink in. We are doing well and because of this, we are getting a chance to play at such venues. Nobody believed us but everyone in the team did their best.
Did you have time to celebrate?
No, we didn’t. Actually, we haven’t even had time to rest. the time we returned to the hotel, it was close to 1 am. We were departing early in the morning and the time my packing was over, it was already 3 am. So I decided to say my morning prayers before catching some sleep. So, I managed to sleep for only an hour. Then I woke up, packed my bags and rushed to the airport. I did manage to speak to my family back home, but it was a very short conversation. There are plenty of unanswered messages in my inbox. The more I reply, more messages will come. My body and mind are tired, desperate for some rest. There is another game coming in a couple of days. I have to change my routine for that, with different time zones, it’s challenging.
Coming back to the Pakan game, what does this win mean for Zimbabwe?
We all came with a goal and we all strive to achieve it. The win has given us great satisfaction. It means a lot to me, my family, to Zimbabwe because of the goal we set. Basically, we wanted to qualify for the T20 World Cup and play with big boys, and then reger a few surprises. It wasn’t the fact that we won on Thursday but how we won that was important for us. How our attitude carried us through.

“He just seems to know exactly what to do, when to do it.” 🙌
Ricky Ponting talks about the brilliance of Sikandar Raza and his recent success.
Lessons @JUS 📽️#jus | #KeepLearning pic.twitter.com/lWm4dKdnpg
— ICC (@ICC) October 27, 2022
Pakan were sailing towards a win, when you got two wickets off consecutive balls…
There were around 80 for 3 at one stage but when we saw the scoreboard, they required more runs with fewer balls left. The run rate was more than 6.5 per over which means they were still behind the game. Later, the asking rate went to 7 and then over 7.5. So we all felt that if we got a few quick wickets, one never knows where this game will go. We wanted to minimise the boundaries and tried not to allow them to take two runs. We wanted them to take chances. That’s all we did, we created pressure.
What were you thinking?
I had bowled two overs and (skipper) Craig (Ervine) took me off, which was the right call. He came and asked me what I was thinking. I told him that it’s time we should use spin. In case, our seamers weren’t able to complete their quota despite the wicket suiting them, we needed to use four overs of our spin quota. When Craig asked me to bowl again, I made sure that I stuck to the plan of getting dot balls and giving only singles. I got hit for a six but I was still trying to get a dot ball, so that I could leave as many runs as possible for my teammates to defend.
What was the discussion during the last over?
Everyone was asked their opinion. I was asked too, it came down to 11 runs in the final over. (Brad) Evans was asked what was going through his mind and he told us the areas he was targeting. We gave him the field accordingly.

If not with the bat, he will get you with the ball 💥
Sikandar Raza turned the tide of the game with his brilliant spell and is the @aramco POTM ⭐ pic.twitter.com/mMPKj369Zi
— ICC (@ICC) October 27, 2022
Will this win have an impact on Zimbabwe cricket? Will this drive the new generation to take up the game?
It means a lot. We are the flag-bearers of this country and have to make sure that the next generation back home takes up the sport. Families will be encouraged because it can give a decent life. The problem starts when one is playing cricket but not earning through it.
Now if one sees Zimbabwe doing well, winning games, you see a lot of bonuses being announced. Things might change. We don’t have a pool of players till now. I hope there are more kids taking up the sport and that will improve the standard of Zimbabwe cricket.
You were born in Pakan and now helped Zimbabwe beat Pakan…
I have been asked this question so many times. Wherever I go, I know this question will be asked. My emotions are the same, I respect all countries. I represent Zimbabwe and that is important to me.
You have had a great run of late, with both bat and ball…
I’m really happy with the way things have been going for me for the past few months. A lot of hard work has gone in and I started to believe in winning matches for my team. I have changed my attitude and approach towards this game.
How much did Sunil Narine help you?
I was part of the Caribbean Premier League and was fascinated Sunny’s skill and how good he is. I used to ask him questions not just for the sake of asking, but to learn new things from him. He is very helpful, even now he takes time to watch my videos. He replied to my messages. He guided me. There were two other boys who helped me. Ravi Bopara helped me with the knuckleball and when I was changing my action, the person who stood me was Imran Tahir.
(Twitter/Screengrab)
Two years ago, there was a time when you felt your cricket career was over…
I was scared that cricket was over for me. There was a tumour threat, I got my biopsy done, and luckily there was no cancer. But I had to undergo multiple surgeries on my shoulder. Believe me, I felt it was all over, but it seems God had something else planned for me. He wanted me to see this day.