Sikandar in form of his life NATIONAL TREASURE . . . Allrounder Sikandar Raza (right) receives his Player-of-the-Match award from Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani for his three wickets and 117* off 127 balls during Sunday’s second ODI match against Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 5 wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead. — Photo by Zimbabwe Cricket.

ZIMBABWE’S cricket star all-rounder Sikandar Raza is in the form of his life. 

In the second ODI against Bangladesh, he scalped three wickets and then scored an unbeaten 117, comprising 8 boundaries and 4 sixes. He shared a crucial 201-run partnership with skipper Chakabva (102 off 75) for the fifth wicket as Zimbabwe chased down 291 with 2.3 overs to spare. 

He had earlier scored an unbeaten 135 runs off 109 balls to help Zimbabwe chase down 307 runs in the first ODI. 

Raza was very happy after helping the hosts defeat Bangladesh in the ODI series. He said that he has put a lot of effort into achieving the success he is currently having. 

Speaking on the post-match show, Raza said: “Have put in a lot of efforts. To be able to achieve that, I’m also running out of words. Humbling feeling, don’t know what to say. To be on this journey where we’re winning and achieving something is great.”

The hosts will play their third and final ODI against Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club today. 

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe are set to play India in three ODIs, starting on August 18. The remaining ODIs will be played on August 20 and 22. The Men in Blue have already announced their squad. 

The Indian cricket team is all set to tour Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series this month. Regular players like all-format skipper Rohit Sharma, senior batsman Virat Kohli, wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah will not be part of the ODI series in Harare. 

The last time India toured Zimbabwe was in 2016. 

All three India v Zimbabwe ODIs will be played at Harare Sports Club on August 18, 20 and 22, respectively. 

Rahul Tripathi has finally been rewarded for his impressive outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The star batter received his maiden India call-up in the Indian ODI team. 

Another player who is making a return to team India is Washington Sundar. The all-rounder is currently playing County Cricket in England. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both are not named for the Zimbabwe tour. Some media reports had suggested that the duo will be part of team India for Zimbabwe ODIs. Fit-again talented speedster Deepak Chahar, after being out of the Indian squad for almost six long months, is all set to make a comeback.

India’s squad for 3 ODIs 

Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj and Deepak Chahar. — ABPLive/Sports Reporter

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