Bereaved Raza makes a statement as first Zimbabwe player in SA20

Sikandar Raza has had to put aside the pain of losing his 13-year old brother Muhammad Mahdi to health-related complications earlier this week as he became the first Zimbabwean to play in the SA20 in a league career that now stretches across 22 teams.

Raza, whose brother passed away on Monday, was in action four days later for the Paarl Royals and put in a stellar performance as they recorded a one-run win over MI Cape Town. A passionate and emotional Raza took 3 for 27, including the first wicket and two in the midst of MICT's collapse of 5 for 9. He also claimed an important catch and celebrated with characteristic enthusiasm: arms outstretched, sprints across the outfield, fists pumping and gazes to the heavens as he stayed true to the words he shared with his team-mates on arrival in South Africa.

"I had a chat with the team, and I said that I would always respect the fact that you've given us your love, your support, your condolences, but I'm not here to take energy from you. I'm not here to take anything from you, so we're happy to put that aside, and I will give as much as I can to this team," Raza said, fighting back tears afterwards. "If I wasn't ready physically, mentally or emotionally I wouldn't be here. The fact that I'm here, I can promise you I'll give you everything. I will try and do my best, that's all I can say."

That was not in doubt as Raza provided crucial breakthroughs in Royals' defence of 181, which looked chaseable until he removed an in-form Ryan Rickelton, who tried to hit him over long-off. Raza was on the boundary when Rassie van der Dussen aimed to clear the ropes and took a running catch in swirling winds before removing Nicholas Pooran, with a side-arm delivery that he could not cut away and Tom Moores, with big spin, in successive deliveries. Raza made a statement as the first Zimbabwean to play in the SA20.

Despite the close proximity to South Africa, Zimbabwe's players have struggled to find spots in the franchise league both here and elsewhere. Raza is the only player from his country to feature regularly in competitions such as the ILT20 (where he was playing just a week ago), the CPL and the MLC. Blessing Muzarabani has won an IPL, and newly appointed Test captain Richard Ngarava has played in the ILT20 and previously Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams had brief dalliances with leagues.

Overall, Zimbabwe players, who missed out on the 2021 and 2024 T20 World Cups, the 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cup and who do not have a franchise league at home, struggle for opportunities abroad and Raza hopes his presence in the SA20 could help change that. "I always believe once a Zimbabwean goes somewhere, he tries to open doors for other Zimbabweans and I hope that is the case here. There hasn't been any Zimbabwean that has played for SA T20 in those three years," he said.

As much as Raza aims to give to the team and open doors, he also sees the SA20 as an opportunity to tune up for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Raza will lead Zimbabwe in a group that includes Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Oman.

"The standard of this league is pretty high. It is great for my own cricket growth and development," he said. "The way I look at it, eventually you're going to come across a few players that you're going to be playing against at the World Cup. So as much as they'll try and find things about you, you'll also try and find things about them. It's also just for the cricketing growth and confidence to play in such a major league, and to see if you can have a good tour as well just before the World Cup.

"Cricket is very much a confidence game and if you can take that confidence and the knowledge about certain players and conditions and share that with the fellow Zimbabweans, then they're not starting from scratch, they have something to build on. They don't have to start from zero."

Raza missed the first two Paarl games at the start of the competition but will be available for the remaining eight, as well as if they qualify for the playoffs. They are currently third on the points table with two wins from three matches, and will play the winless MICT in the return fixture on Sunday at Newlands, where Raza has laid down a challenge for his team-mates.

"We've seen what they can do, they've seen what we can do, the beauty about cricket is if you're not evolving, if you're not trying to stay ahead, the opposition will definitely catch you. What's really important for the next game is how we can do what we did today better, because if we stay the same, it's going to be difficult to win the game," he said. "You have to do things better, and we have to do it better, because they will come up with better plans. The real challenge is can we do what we did today better."