Sikandar Raza finds common ground with ZC and returns to the national side

The ace all-rounder of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), Sikandar Raza was initially left out of the squad which will tour Bangladesh next month to play three ODIs and two Tests. The all-rounder was also sidelined from Zimbabwe’s South Africa tour. He was accused of breaching the conditions of a previous agreement with the board and subsequently, he lost his place in the national team.

Raza went to play domestic cricket in England without having a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from his home board. He repeated the same while taking part in the inaugural Global T20 Canada, and that resulted in the termination of his national contract. ZC announced names of newly contracted players earlier this month, and of course, Raza did not find his name on the list.

Raza finds common ground with ZC to back to the national team

However, in a recent meeting with the board, Raza found the common ground with ZC and resolve the contractual issues to manage a place in the squad which will tour Bangladesh next month. Being confirmed about securing his place in the squad, Raza said to the media: “I am delighted to have the news. ZC sorted out my issues quickly. Now, I want to keep it behind and concentrate on my game.”

Givemore Makoni, the interim managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, welcomed Raza’s inclusion to the national side. Speaking to the media, he said: “It is pleasant that we found a common ground with Raza to settle down the contractual issues. We welcome Raza back to the national set-up, and hope he will contribute heavily in the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.”

Earlier this month, Raza expressed his disappointment through Twitter for his exclusion from the national contract. Then the ZC said by a media release that, the decision of axing Raza from the national side was taken by board’s Contracts Committee. They claimed that there was no personal interest.

Sikandar Raza has played 123 matches for Zimbabwe across the formats. He has scored 3525 runs and has taken 72 wickets. The right-handed all-rounder played a pivotal role for his country during the World Cup qualifier earlier this year, but Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the next year’s World Cup.

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