The Sunday Mail
Don Makanyanga
Sports Reporter
SIKANDAR RAZA’s worth to Zimbabwe cricket has been a hot topic over the past 12 months. In a year of many highs and lows for the Chevrons — be it a historic first win over Australia Down Under, a dominant performance at the T20 Global Qualifiers and a fairytale run at the World Cup — Raza has been front and centre of it all.
In general, the team and the sport had a turbulent time in 2022.
There were mixed fortunes on the pitch, while the sport also lost one of its true icons in Shepherd Makunura.
Raza magic
The 36-year-old played 38 matches across all three formats in 2022.
He scored 1 380 runs and made three centuries and five half-centuries.
He also claimed 22 wickets at an average of 31.41 and a best of four for eight.
The Chevrons all-rounder capped off the year with the realisation of a childhood dream by clinching an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract, as he was recently snapped up by Punjab Kings during the IPL auction a fortnight ago.
“It was part of my thinking that before I hang up my boots, it would be nice to have the IPL on my CV,” Raza reportedly told ESPNcricinfo from his base in Kathmandu, where he is part of the Nepal T20 League.
“Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), it has happened. “I am really happy, humbled and excited at the same time,” he said.
Punjab Kings head coach Trevor Baylis welcomed Raza to the team with open arms.
“The second buy of (Sikandar) Raza was a little bit low compared to what we expected, but we are very happy to have him on board.
“He brings some different skills that we haven’t got in the squad, and it is really an exciting buy,” said Baylis on the sidelines of the auction. Raza was bought for 50 Lakhs, which translates to US$60 000.
The Chevrons’ talisman also entertained fans with his energetic dances and songs, welcoming personality and his social media, which is a treasure trove of glimpses into his quirky sense of humour and overall charm.
Chevrons’ redemption
White ball cricket was front and centre for Zimbabwe last year.
The Chevrons had nine tours in both One-Day Internationals and T20 formats.
While the win-loss record is unimpressive and their ICC Men’s Cricket Super League campaign is in tatters, there were a couple of bright spots, which include a dominant performance during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers that were held in Bulawayo.
The Chevrons ultimately won, courtesy of a 37-run victory over Netherlands in the final.
Among the stars of the show were Raza (228), Sean Williams (197) and Regis Chakabva (118), while the trio of Blessing Muzarabani, Ryan Burl and Raza finished the tournament with five wickets each.
The Chevrons went on to have a fairytale run at the World Cup, where they claimed the scalps of Ireland (31-run victory) and Scotland (five wickets) on their way to a historic Super-12 qualification. They later on beat Pakistan by one run and shared the spoils with South Africa after their game was washed out.
However, losses to Bangladesh (three runs), Netherlands (five wickets) and India (71 runs) ended their tournament.
Earlier, before the World Cup, Zimbabwe had memorably secured their first victory over Australia in Australia, courtesy of a three-wicket victory during the third of a three-match ODI series.
Burl collected remarkable figures of five for 10 in three overs, as the Chevrons, who went down 2-1 in the series, managed to finish the historic tour on a high and give themselves some momentum, heading into the T20 World Cup.
Zimbabwe also scored a couple of victories in the boardroom as well.
Not only were they announced hosts for the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 together with neighbours Namibia, but they also had a trial run of the T10 format last year, which is now set to attract a number of international stars this year.
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) also gave senior women’s national team players central contracts just like their male counterparts.
In its bid to empower the girl child, ZC organised tours for the U-19 Lady Chevrons to South Africa and India.
These visits are part of the team’s preparations for this year’s inaugural Women’s Under-19 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa.
Fallen legend
The year, however, ended on a tragic note for cricket, as it lost one of its unsung heroes – Shepherd Makunura.
Makunura, a champion of cricket development, died a fortnight ago and was buried at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare.
He made history with Mountaineers by becoming the first coach in Zimbabwe to win three consecutive Logan Cup titles between 2017 and 2019, after which he went on to claim another title with Southern Rocks the following season.
In 2018, he joined the Chevrons’ technical setup as fielding coach, a position he held until his untimely death.
