One on one with Sikandar Raza

02 Apr, 2020 - 13:04 0 Views
One on one with Sikandar Raza

The Sunday Mail

This week we introduce In The Oval, a cricket forum with Brighton Zhawi, where he gets up and personal with Zimbabwean cricketers.

He caught up with all-rounder Sikandar Raza, a cricket addict who has plenty of favourite cricketers that he cannot name one, he prefers Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi and would pick cooking over laundry.

Read on as Zhawi chats to Raza in this inaugural episode of In The Oval.

BZ: 100 ODIs up for Raza … the 17th Zimbabwean player to reach the milestone … you must be proud?

SR: Humbled

BZ: Reflecting on these caps, which one would you pick as your favourite or best performance?

SR: All of them, I was extremely lucky and blessed to get my first one and then the second and then all the way to 100. So all of them. But regarding performance, 100 vs Sri Lanka in the Test match in Colombo.

BZ: We talking ODIs man, I see you love Test cricket. Is it your number one format?

SR: 100 vs Pakistan in Pakistan. Yes, Test cricket is my number one format.

Chilling . . . Sikandar Raza

BZ: Because you’re a cricket addict?

SR: You can say that but also because it’s the format that teaches you the most.

BZ: Would you love to captain Zimbabwe in Tests?

SR: In sha Allah

BZ: Raza, the off-spinner, achieved a bowling feat in the recent Test against Sri Lanka … this was after a below par bowling performance in the first Test … who is this Raza the off-spinning guy, because there was once a seam-up Raza some years back?

SR: (laughs) I was struggling to manage the workload as a seamer and an opener so I had to make this decision of becoming just a batter and later I started bowling off-spin. I have been just lucky with all these bowling performances.

BZ: Raza and social media. How is that relationship or partnership should I say?

SR: Love-and-hate. It’s steady now.

BZ: You have been in trouble before … now a good boy?

SR: Mature and experienced I guess (laughing). Mistakes makes you learn and if you learn from them, that makes you a better person.

BZ: Then there is the charity part … which projects are you doing at the moment and which ones have you done before?

SR: Working with an orphanage, spent time with hearing and speech-impaired people and kids with cancer.

BZ: Clearly showing we are all human beings before being professionals.

SR: That’s up to you to decide and the readers, I am just trying to make my Creator happy and do what’s a big part of my religion.

BZ: Growing up who was your sporting hero?

SR: No-one I was just in love the sport … period.

BZ: Favourite ground(s) to play cricket?

SR: Harare Sports club with full capacity

BZ: Who is your favourite player?

SR: Too many to mention, no-one in particular, each country am close to one or two.

BZ: Who are you close to, in the Zimbabwe team?

SR: Craig Ervine, Timycen Maruma

BZ: The world is going through a tough period due to the coronavirus.  As an international sport star.  What’s your message to everyone out there?

SR: Stay clean, stay safe, listen to the World Health Organisation.

BZ: Now it’s time for the “off-cutter”, a section where we ask random questions. So here we go.

SR: Ok.

BZ:  If not a cricketer … what office job would you have picked and why?

SR: Management (he declined to elaborate).

BZ: The best between Messi and Ronaldo?

SR: Ronaldo.

BZ: Zim Dancehall or hip-hop?

SR: None (laughing). I hardly listen to music.

BZ: But you did a collabo with Enzo?

SR: I did, I know (laughing again).

BZ: Which one would you pay to watch? EPL match, NBA finals, Tennis Grand Slam, F1 Grand Prix or Olympics 100m final?

SR: Olympics 100 m final.

BZ: Cooking, dishes or laundry?

SR: Cooking.

BZ: Last one … Test five-for, ODI 100, T20 hat trick?

SR: ODI 100.

BZ: Thanks for your time mate, I appreciate

SR: All good.

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