Sikandar Raza roars through the pain

Sikandar Raza's brother, Muhammad Mahdi, died in Harare on Monday. He was only 13. By then, Raza had played his last match of this year's ILT20 and was on his way to the SA20. Had he told Paarl Royals he wasn't up to taking the field for their match against Mumbai Indians Cape Town at Boland Park on Friday, they would have understood.

Raza didn't do that. He showed up. He played. And how.

He had Ryan Rickelton caught at long-on to end a threatening stand of 77 and slow Cape Town's pursuit of 182. Then—with consecutive balls—he had Nicholas Pooran caught at backward point with a delivery slung sidearm and produced a ball that zagged sharply after pitching on leg to hit the top of Tom Moores' off stump.

Without Raza's 3/27, it's doubtful Paarl would have clinched victory, which they did by a single run.

Raza, always among the most animated of players, celebrated his strikes with palpable passion; roaring and punching the air with even more gusto than usual.

Was that a reaction to his brother's death, or was he trying to think about something else if only for a few hours?

"Neither I nor my family can ever forget about it," Raza said. "I had a chat with the team beforehand, and I said, 'I will always respect you for your love, support, and condolences. But I'm not here to take energy from you. If I wasn't ready physically, mentally or emotionally, I wouldn't be here. The fact that I'm here means I can promise I'll give you everything. So we put that aside. It is what it is. And I will try and do my best.'"

As Raza spoke, the tears welled. They spilled, and his voice cracked as he finished.

His composure in the coldness of the press conference was even more remarkable than his performance in the heat of the match, which was noteworthy for another reason.

The SA20 is in its fourth edition, but Friday's match was the first in the tournament's history to include a Zimbabwe player. Why cricketers from South Africa's northern neighbour have been uninvolved isn't a simple question to answer. It's bound up with perceptions, assumptions, and the steadier stream of players from elsewhere.

Raza himself has played in the IPL, albeit in only seven games in 2023 and another two in 2024. He has also turned out for 28 other franchise teams around the cricket world. But he had to wait until Friday to do so in the SA20.

"There was always a clash with the SA20 and other leagues," Raza said. "I had signed deals with other leagues, so that's why I couldn't come. But I heard a lot of good things about this league. A lot of South Africans told me that if I get the opportunity, I should come. The standard is pretty high and the crowd plays a huge role. I've been lucky enough to experience that today. All the stories I've heard about this league are true."

And where one Zimbabwean goes, others are sure to follow.

"It is great for my own cricket growth and development, and also I believe once a Zimbabwean goes somewhere he tries to open doors for other Zimbabweans."