Zimpapers Logo

MAN ON A MISSION . . . Sikandar Raza is now fulfilling the potential he has always shown and has transformed himself into a very key member of the Chevrons

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
SIKANDAR Raza not only joined elite company after his brilliant knock of 89, scripted over two days at Queens, but also provided the rock on which Zimbabwe built their stubborn resistance to force their first Test draw in a dozen years. The all-rounder was well in sight of a deserved century, just 11 runs short of that magical mark, when his innings – laced with beauty, concentration, responsibility and courage – when his off stump was sent reeling by a vicious in-swinger by West Indies skipper Jason Holder.

But, amid the dark cloud of disappointment of missing another Test century and, crucially, opening a window of hope for the Calypso Kings to force a win, now that the major stumbling block had been removed, there was a bright ray of light for Raza. After all, his gritty performance – in which he received a helping hand from the impressive PJ Moor, Regis Chakabva, who answered his army of critics with a welcome return to form when it mattered most, and skipper Graeme Cremer – was enough to help his side battle their way to a draw.

Not since drawing against Bangladesh in a Test in 2005, had the Chevrons found a way to force a draw at this level of the game and that they were on the back foot, for the better part of the final two days, provided a wave of relief for Heath Streak and his men. To find a way to defy the Windies from the carnage of seeing their top order having been blown away cheaply, was a demonstration of a character which their fans have been calling for from a team which used to have the sickening tendency of collapsing once their leading lights had been blown away.

Raza’s 89, from 203 balls, was constructed from six fours and one six, and by the end of the contest, the all-rounder had contributed about a third of the total number of second innings runs in Zimbabwe’s show of defiance in which they reached 301/7 by the time the captains decided to shake hands and settle for a draw. After his 80 in the first innings, and the five wickets he grabbed, Raza joined South African legend Jacques Kallis in an elite group of cricketers who have taken a five-wicket haul and score, at least, 80 runs, in both innings of the same Test match.

Having scored a brilliant 127 in the second innings of the only Test against Sri Lanka in July, Raza has been in fine touch with the bat and has also shown that he is becoming a very key player for the team with the ball too, as evidenced by his five-wicket haul against the Windies in this Test. While Raza has been shining brightly, this hasn’t been a one-man show and that’s something that should cheer the spirits of the Chevrons’ fans as Streak and his coaching staff continue to show they are on the right path in their quest to transform the Chevrons into a competitive side.

Save for the collapse from 91-1 to 159 all out in the first innings of the first Test, which Zimbabwe lost by 117 runs, the Chevrons have been showing life with the bat of late. The Chevrons have scored more than 300 runs in all their innings, except that first innings aberration against West Indies, since they scored 356 in the first innings of the only Test in Sri Lanka with Craig Ervine scoring a brilliant 160 to lead the way.

Raza contributed 36 runs in that innings, scoring two fours and one six, before he powered to a gigantic 127 in the second innings, from one six and nine fours, off 205 balls, in the second innings. Moor, who appears to be a future captain of the team in the making, contributed 40 runs in the second innings while Malcolm Waller added 68 with the gritty Cremer adding 48.

Zimbabwe then scored 316 in their second innings against the Windies in the first Test before they scored 326 in the first innings of the second Test with Hamilton Masakadza hitting a Test career-best 147,Moor adding 52 and Raza contributing 80. Another score of more than 300 was recorded in the fightback of the second innings of the second Test with Zimbabwe scoring 301/7 off 144 overs and Raza top-scoring with his 89 while Chakabva contributed an unbeaten 71 and Moor added 42.