WATCH: Sikandar Raza created history, became the first player to take a T20 hat-trick for Zimbabwe

 

Zimbabwe's star all-rounder Sikandar Raza has registered his name in the pages of history. He has become the first Zimbabwean player to take a hat-trick in T-20 International cricket. The all-rounder achieved the feat by taking a hat-trick against Rwanda in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier 2023.

To complete his hat-trick, Raza took the wickets of Rwandan batsmen Muhammad Nadir, Xapi Bimenimana and Emile Rukiriza. Due to their incredible performance with both bat and ball, Zimbabwe managed to win the match by 144 runs and with this big win, the Zimbabwean team is still alive to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Talking about this match, batting first, Raza and Tadivanashe Marumani gave a great start to the team. After this, with the help of Ryan Burl's 44 runs, Zimbabwe put 215 runs on the scoreboard. When it came to chasing, the Rwandan team never looked like chasing the target. Richard Ngarawa produced a sensational performance with the new ball while Raza took the last three wickets to ensure Zimbabwe's victory. After this victory, Zimbabwe's team is fourth in the points table after Namibia, Uganda and Kenya and still needs to win some tremendous matches to qualify for the mega tournament to be held in West Indies and USA next year. Is.

After a stellar season with both bat and bowling in 2022, Sikandar Raza was selected by Punjab Kings for IPL 2023. The franchise had picked him up at his base price, but the all-rounder failed to prove himself. He was able to score 119 runs in seven matches and took only three wickets with the ball. In the absence of Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone in the opening matches, Raza was given a chance but the cricketer could not take advantage of it. The good thing for Raza is that Punjab Kings have retained him in their team for the upcoming IPL season.