Raza in T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament

Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWEAN all-rounder, Sikandar Raza has been chosen in the International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament after the global showpiece concluded in Australia yesterday with England being crowned champions. 

Raza however, lost out on the Player of the Tournament accolade to England’s Sam Curran, son of former Zimbabwean all-rounder and coach, the late Kevin Curran. 

Sikander Raza

The in-form Raza was, besides Curran, up against Virat Kohli (India), Suryakumar Yadav (India), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan), Alex Hales (England), Jos Buttler (England) and Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka).

Raza was included in the Team of the Tournament which is dominated by Indian and England players. With the impressive all-round display in the World Cup, Raza also moved up to fourth in the ICC T20 all-rounder rankings. Raza is only behind Hardik Pandya (India), Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) and Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) in the rankings and his teammate Sean Williams is ranked in position nine.

At the just ended T20 World Cup where Zimbabwe reached the Super 12 stage for the first time-ever, Raza scored 219 runs in eight matches, with one-half-century to his name. He took 10 wickets which included the 3/25 which came in a shock one wicket win against Pakistan. The Zimbabwean also boasts the sixth most runs scored and the highest individual score of 82 runs. His score of 82 is the highest-ever by a Zimbabwean batsman at the T20 World Cup, better than the 60 not out by Brendan Taylor against Australia at the 2007 edition of the tournament held in South Africa. 

With 219 runs and 10 wickets in this World Cup, Raza became, after Australian great Shane Watson, the second player to ever score over 200 runs and take over 10 wickets at a World Cup. Raza also had the most sixes in the tournament with 11.

Missing out on the Player of the Tournament award was the second close call for Raza after the star Zimbabwean all-rounder also fell short of making it for the Player of the Month awards after being edged by Kohli for the October accolade.

Winning player of the tournament, Curran has joined a list of cricketing greats which includes Shahid Afridi, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kevin Pietersen, Watson, Kohli and David Warner.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Team of the tournament: Jos Buttler (England), Alex Hales (England), Virat Kohli (India), Suryakumar Yadav (India), Glen Phillips (New Zealand), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Anrich Nortje (South Africa), Mark Wood (England), Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan), Arshdeep Singh (India). — @brandon_malvin

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