"I will only and ever represent Zimbabwe" - Sikandar Raza responds to X user's query over playing for Pakistan
Pakistan-born veteran all-rounder Sikandar Raza has stated that he would only represent Zimbabwe in international cricket because he is fully Zimbabwean. The versatile cricketer made the statement while responding to a fan query on whether he has ever thought of playing for his country of birth.
Raza (38) was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, in April 1986. He made his debut for Zimbabwe in May 2013 and has gone on to establish himself as one of the key members of the national side in recent years.
The all-rounder conducted a Q&A session with fans on his X handle on Saturday, August 3. One of the users named Umar Farooq Kalson, whose profile says that he's an ex-director of PCB, asked Raza:
"Have you ever thought about playing for Pakistan?
"You could help resolve the middle-order batting woes," Kalson cheekily added.
To this, the Zimbabwe stalwart replied:
"I am a born Pakistani and a product of Zimbabwe Cricket. I will only and ever represent Zimbabwe. Spent time and money on me and I am only trying to repay their faith and whatever I achieve will never even get close to repaying it. Zim is mine and am theirs fully."
One of Zimbabwe's most experienced cricketers, Raza has featured in 17 Tests, 142 ODIs, and 91 T20Is, scoring 1187, 4154, and 2037 runs, respectively. He has notched up one hundred and eight fifties in Test matches and seven tons and 21 half-centuries in ODIs.
The cricketer is also a decent off-spinner, who can bowl leg-spin if needed. With the ball, he has claimed 34 wickets in Tests, with two five-wicket hauls. The experienced all-rounder has also picked up 88 scalps in ODIs and 66 in the T20I format.
Sikandar Raza is currently representing Manchester Originals in the hundred
Raza is currently part of the Manchester Originals squad for the Hundred. He has played three matches so far and has registered scores of 13, 21, and 13 against Welsh Fire, Trent Rockets, and Southern Brave, respectively. With the ball, he picked up 2-29 against Trent Rockets in Manchester.
Overall, the Zimbabwe cricketer has featured in 248 T20 matches and has scored 5104 runs at a strike rate of 134.24, with 30 half-centuries. With the ball, he has claimed 145 scalps at an average of 28.12 and an economy rate of 7.41, with three four-wicket hauls.