Sikandar Raza

Born in Sialkot in the northeast of Pakistan, Sikandar had his ambitions set on becoming a fighter pilot from an early age and got into Air Force college. But failing an eye test during the third year led him to drop out. While pursuing his bachelor's degree at the Glasgow Caledonian University, he picked up cricket as a semi-professional realizing his true potential.

Raza moved to Zimbabwe, where his parents had resided since 2002, and he made his first-class debut in 2007. He made one half-century in nine innings before completing his studies and returning to full-time cricket in the 2010-11 season. Sikandar had a more fruitful time, scoring 625 runs at an average of 41. He continued to develop his skills as an all-rounder in the domestic circuit.

It was in 2013 when Sikandar Raza made his debut across all formats for Zimbabwe in the international circuit. The following year, Raza was a part of the highest opening stand for Zimbabwe in ODIs with Hamilton Masakadza which was worth 224 runs. He was certainly able to cement his spot in the side with his consistently outstanding performances since then.

In January 2020, Raza gained the record for the second best bowling figures in an innings by a Zimbabwe bowler in Test cricket with 7 for 113 against Sri Lanka. In the same year, he also played his 100th ODI match. Sikandar Raza still continues to go all guns blazing with the blade. In an ODI series against Bangladesh in 2022, he smacked consecutive centuries in the first two matches out of three, and both came in a winning cause.