History of Sikandar Raza in Timeline

Sikandar Raza is a Pakistani-born Zimbabwean international cricketer, an all-rounder known for his right-handed batting and right-arm off-spin bowling. He debuted for Zimbabwe in May 2013 and holds the distinction of being the first Zimbabwean to score a T20I century. Currently, he serves as the captain of the Zimbabwe T20I team.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

April 1986: Sikandar Raza's Birth

On April 1986, Sikandar Raza Butt, a Pakistani-born Zimbabwean international cricketer, was born. He is an all-rounder known for his right-handed batting and right-arm off-spin bowling.

Others born on this day/year

2002: Family Move to Zimbabwe

In 2002, Sikandar Raza and his family moved to Zimbabwe.

2006: Scored three T20 centuries for Weirs CC

During the 2006 season, Sikandar Raza scored three T20 centuries for Weirs CC.

April 2007: First-Class Debut

On April 12, 2007, Sikandar Raza made his first-class cricket debut for Northerns against Easterns during the 2007 Logan Cup.

2007: List A Debut

In 2007, Sikandar Raza made his List A debut.

2009: Played first-class cricket for the Mashonaland Eagles

In 2009, after the revamping of Zimbabwe's domestic structure, Raza went on to play first-class cricket for the Mashonaland Eagles.

2010: T20 Debut and Leading Run-Scorer

In 2010, Raza made his Twenty20 debut for the Southern Rocks against the Desert Vipers and became the leading run-scorer in the 2010 Stanbic Bank T20 Competition.

2010: Performance in Metbank Pro40 Championship Final

In 2010, Raza scored 44 for Southern Rocks in the Metbank Pro40 Championship Final against Mid West Rhinos.

January 2011: Career Best List-A Score

In January 2011, Raza achieved his career-best List-A score of 80 runs.

September 2011: Granted Citizenship Status

In September 2011, Raza was granted citizenship status.

May 2013: ODI Debut for Zimbabwe

In May 2013, Raza made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe against Bangladesh, scoring three runs. He became the 116th player to represent Zimbabwe in the format and the first non-residential player to do so.

September 2013: Test Debut Against Pakistan

In September 2013, Raza made his Test debut against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club, scoring 60 runs and forming a 127-run partnership with Malcolm Waller. However, he was later dropped when Brendan Taylor returned to the team.

November 2013: T20I Debut Against Bangladesh

On November 5, 2013, Raza made his T20I debut against Bangladesh.

July 2014: Maiden ODI Century Against Afghanistan

In July 2014, Raza scored his maiden ODI century against Afghanistan, helping Zimbabwe secure an eight-wicket victory. He also set a record for the highest individual score by a Zimbabwe batsman in an ODI run chase with 141 runs.

2015: Participated in 2015 Cricket World Cup

In 2015, Raza was part of the Zimbabwean squad for the 2015 Cricket World Cup tournament, impressing with his bowling performance.

2016: Record 9th Wicket Partnership

During the 2016–17 Zimbabwe Tri-Series, Raza and Tendai Chisoro set the record for the highest 9th wicket partnership for Zimbabwe in ODI cricket by adding an unbeaten 91 runs, helping Zimbabwe win against West Indies by 5 runs.

2017: Series Win Against Sri Lanka

In 2017, Raza guided Zimbabwe to win the final ODI against Sri Lanka, securing a 3–2 series victory, their first-ever series win against Sri Lanka. He won the man of the match award for his performance in the final ODI. He also scored his maiden Test century in the one-off test.

February 2018: Named Player to Watch in World Cup Qualifier

In February 2018, the ICC named Raza as one of the ten players to watch ahead of the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament.

June 2018: Selected for Montreal Tigers

On June 3, 2018, Raza was selected to play for the Montreal Tigers in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament.

October 2018: Named in Squads for Tshwane Spartans and Chittagong Vikings

In October 2018, Raza was named in the Tshwane Spartans' squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament and in the squad for the Chittagong Vikings team for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.

July 2019: Selected for Amsterdam Knights

In July 2019, Raza was selected to play for the Amsterdam Knights in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament.

2019: Zimbabwe Failed to Qualify for Cricket World Cup

In 2019, despite Raza being awarded Player of The Tournament, Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The ZC Board snubbed senior players including Raza for the 2018 home Zimbabwe Tri-Nation Series.

2019: Bollywood movie 83 was filmed

In 2019, the Bollywood movie '83' was filmed on the same square where Sikandar Raza scored his three T20 centuries for Weirs CC back in 2006.

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January 2020: Second-Best Bowling Figures

In January 2020, Raza achieved the second-best bowling figures in an innings for a Zimbabwe bowler in Test cricket, with 7 for 113 against Sri Lanka.

March 2020: 100th ODI Match

On March 6, 2020, Raza played in his 100th ODI match against Bangladesh.

July 2020: Named in Trinbago Knight Riders Squad

In July 2020, Raza was named in the Trinbago Knight Riders squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League.

December 2020: Selected to Play for Southern Rocks

In December 2020, Raza was selected to play for the Southern Rocks in the 2020–21 Logan Cup.

April 2021: Sidelined from international cricket

In April 2021, Sikandar Raza was sidelined from international cricket due to a bone marrow infection, with initial speculations about cancer.

July 2021: Return to Competitive Cricket

In July 2021, Raza returned to competitive cricket and made his international return during the home ODI series against Bangladesh after recovering from his bone marrow infection.

July 2022: Selected for T20 World Cup Qualifier

In July 2022, Raza was selected in Zimbabwe's squad for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B tournament.

August 2022: ODI Win Over Bangladesh

In August 2022, during the first ODI against Bangladesh, Raza scored an unbeaten 135, leading Zimbabwe to their first ODI win over Bangladesh since 2013.

August 2022: Spectacular Century Against India

In August 2022, during the third ODI against India, Sikandar Raza scored a breathtaking 115 off 95 balls, including nine fours and three sixes, with a strike rate of 121.05. Despite his efforts, Zimbabwe fell short of the target by 14 runs. Raza's performance placed him among an elite list of players with the most ODI centuries in run chases in a single calendar year. He also became the first player to score three ODI centuries in run chases in the same month of a calendar year. In August 2022, Raza had an outstanding year in shorter formats, amassing 615 runs in ODIs and 516 runs in T20Is.

December 2022: Bought by Punjab Kings

In December 2022, Raza was bought by the Punjab Kings in the 2023 Indian Premier League for 50 Lakhs.

December 2022: Drafted by Lahore Qalandars

In December 2022, Raza was drafted by the Lahore Qalandars as their Gold Category round pick at the 2023 PSL draft.

April 2023: IPL Debut and Maiden Half-Century

In April 2023, Raza made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders, scoring 16 runs and taking 1-25. On April 15, 2023, he scored his maiden IPL half-century, scoring 57 runs against Lucknow Super Giants, becoming the first Zimbabwean player to achieve this feat.

June 2023: All-Round Performance Against the Netherlands

On June 20, 2023, in a qualifier match against the Netherlands, Raza showcased his all-round capabilities by taking 4 wickets and scoring an unbeaten 102 runs off 54 deliveries, including six boundaries and eight sixes. This was his 7th and fastest ODI century for Zimbabwe. His performance guided Zimbabwe to a 6-wicket victory, earning him the player of the match award in June 2023.

October 2024: First T20I Century for Zimbabwe

On October 23, 2024, Sikandar Raza became the first Zimbabwe player to score a T20I century, making 133 not out off 43 balls against The Gambia. This achievement occurred during the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Sub-regional Qualifier B tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.