IPL 2023: The Accidental Cricketer – Not as a Pilot, but Sikandar Raza Is Flying

IPL 2023: Making his IPL debut at the age of 36, the flight of Sikandar Raza will not be landing anytime soon.

IPL 2023: An aspiring pilot, Sikandar Raza is flying high in the field of cricket.

(Photo: BCCI/Altered by The Quint)

Every cricketer has a story. It's just that when he or she does well on the big stage, there is a significant spike in interest to know about the struggles that one has undergone to reach the top.

It's now time for Sikandar Raza to appear on cricket's spinning disc with his story, after the Pakistan-born Zimbabwean all-rounder won the Player of the Match award on 15 April, guiding Punjab Kings to a narrow two-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants.

An Unusual Flight Of An Aspiring Pilot

The story begins, like all stories do, with the birth of the protagonist – in the Punjab province in Pakistan, back in 1986. Unlike many of his peers in the IPL, Raza wasn't earmarked for cricketing glory since childhood. Instead, he wanted to become a pilot at 11, and even got into Pakistan's Air Force college. Unfortunately for Raza, he failed an eye test and his dream of becoming a fighter pilot crashed even before it could take off.

Raza, who had played cricket as a child, like almost every other boy in Pakistan, reconnected with the game as a semi-professional at the Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, whilst he was studying to become a software engineer.

Born in Pakistan, Sikandar Raza aspired to become a pilot as a child.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

His time at the University must have reignited his passion for the game as he made his first-class debut when he shifted to Zimbabwe in 2007.

The journeyman's actual cricketing journey began in the 2010/11 season when he returned with 625 runs at 41 and went on to make his International debut for Zimbabwe in 2013. The first highlight of his career came in July 2017 when he helped Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka. It was the team's first away series victory in eight years and also their first-ever over the Lankans.

Unexpected Mid-Air Turbulence

Things had been drifting along for a few years, but it seemed that everything came crashing down in April 2021. Raza was ruled out of action for an indefinite period after suffering an infection in his bone marrow, which was suspected to be cancerous.

His world turned upside down.

"All I said at that time is, 'Allah, if you have decided that this is the end of my career, may you help me find peace with it. If it is your will that if ends it up being a life-threatening injury, and it's your will that my time is up, then let me make peace as well,'" Raza articulates his thoughts during the tough time.

He went under the knife soon after, but the fortune gods were merciful, as the biopsy results came back negative. However, what followed suit was a long and lonely road to recovery.

Sikandar Raza was sidelined with an infection back in April 2021.

(Photo: Twitter/ICC)

Even when he was back on the field, Raza could not bowl with his old action due to the combined effect of the surgery and a couple of shoulder injuries. As a result, he transformed his action under the guidance of Caribbean Premier League teammate Sunil Narine. Raza remodelled his action on the mystery spinner which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the determined all-rounder added another string to his bow.

After Zimbabwe missed out on participation in the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup due to suspension by the ICC, after failing to conduct free and democratic elections, things began to change for good for both Zimbabwe cricket and Raza in 2022.

When The Flight Soared High

Zimbabwe not only qualified for the 2022 T20 World Cup, but won the qualifiers as well, with Raza playing an instrumental role, ending up as the Player of the Tournament in the qualifiers. He also went on to be named the Player of the Series against Bangladesh in T20Is and took it a notch higher with a scintillating 95-ball 115 in the third ODI against India in Zimbabwe's home season.

Sikandar Raza won the player of the tournament award in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

(Photo: Twitter/ICC)

But the best performance of his international career was yet to come. Raza was phenomenal in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where he scored 219 runs and picked 10 wickets and played the leading role in the team's sensational one-run victory over Pakistan.

The 36-year-old, who considered retirement on multiple occasions during his low phases, is playing his best cricket since turning 35. He recently starred for reigning champions Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League 2023, finishing with the highest average and strike rate among the team's top scorers with 223 runs from 11 innings at 37.16 and striking at almost 180.

Time To Land? Just Not Yet

The 36-year-old, who considered retirement on multiple occasions during his low phases, is playing his best cricket since turning 35. He recently starred for reigning champions Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League 2023, finishing with the highest average and strike rate among the team's top scorers with 223 runs from 11 innings at 37.16 and striking at almost 180.

One of the biggest achievements of his long, and illustrious career came in December 2022, when he was roped in by Punjab Kings in the IPL 2023 auctions. It capped off a crazy year for the batting all-rounder.

IPL 2023: Sikandar Raza has established himself as a vital cog in the Punjab Kings team.

(Photo: BCCI)

"Every time I have won a Player of the Match trophy, I kiss my mum's hand and give her the trophy. The best part of these few months is that I have handed her over a lot of trophies. I think the trophy cabinet is full now. To sum it up, I would say that making my parents proud has been the highlight," Raza said in an interview after being picked by PBKS.

But as things change rapidly in elite sport, after three failures for the Shikhar Dhawan-led franchise, Raza was treading on thin ice.

Over the years, we have seen enough examples of players riding high on confidence after being successful on the international stage but falling by the wayside in the cut-throat environment of the IPL.

Over the years, we have seen enough examples of players riding high on confidence after being successful on the international stage, and yet, falling by the wayside in the cut-throat environment of the IPL.

Fortunately for Raza, he was finally able to prove his mettle with a crucial 41-ball 57 against Lucknow in a tricky 160-run chase. That he did it against Mark Wood and Ravi Bishnoi will give him a lot of confidence going forward.

Perhaps, the most iconic pieces of this already-iconic story, are yet to be penned.