Zimbabwe is banking on Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza against India

The Indian sub-continent has always been the home of immense talent when it comes to cricket. Many cricketers who have their roots in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have settled elsewhere across the globe and have given outstanding performances for their adopted countries. The latest in this category is Sikandar Raza the 36-year-old right handed batter who will represent Zimbabwe against India soon in the forthcoming series.
But Raza is not just a gifted cricketer. He is an erudite man who has a keen understanding of the game. He knows that the Indian team cannot be taken lightly. India has the depth of talent to demolish all rivals so Raza is leaving no stone unturned in his preparations.
Born in Sialkot in 1986, Raza emigrated to Zimbabwe in 2002 along with his family. He soon became one of the best batsmen in the domestic competition there and caught the eye of the Zimbabwe selectors. There was a problem with his citizenship but that was eventually sorted out and he was granted full citizenship in 2011. Raza plays in all formats of the game primarily as a batter. He made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2013.
As a young man, Raza’s first ambition was to become a pilot. That was when his family was living in Pakistan. He had studied at the Pakistan Air Force Public School and was inspired by the takes of heroism and valour that he heard. The school is a boys military boarding school situated at PAF Base in Lower Topa which is in the picturesque Murree region. Several of Pakistan’s army and air force commanders have come from this school. But Raza’s dreams of becoming a pilot were nipped in the bud when he failed a vision test that was mandatory for all boys who wished to become a pilot.
But as it turned out later, the loss of his ambition proved to be a gain for cricket. In 2002, Raza moved with his family to Zimbabwe. He later went to Scotland, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in software engineering at the Glasgow Caledonian University and it was here that Raza began to play cricket seriously at a semi professional level.
After returning to Zimbabwe, Raza went on to play first-class cricket for the Mashonaland Eagles team. He made his List A debut in 2007 and then his T20 debut for the Southern Rocks team against Desert Vipers team. Raza’s performances fetched him a place in the preliminary squad for Zimbabwe’s 2011 world cup team although finally he failed to make it into the final 15 man line up.