A Love Affair With New Road
There are overseas stints, and then there are the ones that leave a lasting mark. For Sikandar Raza, his time with Worcestershire Rapids in this season's T20 Blast appears to have been very much the latter. The Zimbabwe all-rounder and T20 captain, now 40 years old, has made no secret of his affection for the club, describing the experience not merely as enjoyable, but as something far deeper.
"I think enjoy is not the word. I have loved it. I've loved being part of the family," Raza told BBC Hereford and Worcester, capturing the warmth he clearly feels towards the Pears and their supporters.
Impressive Numbers Back Up the Sentiment
Of course, sentiment alone doesn't tell the full story — the statistics do that quite eloquently. Across his nine appearances for Worcestershire, Raza accumulated 258 runs at a strike rate of 144, figures that underline exactly why county sides scramble to secure his signature. With the ball, he claimed nine wickets at a miserly economy rate of just over 6.5 runs per over, with a best return of 4-17. In the context of T20 cricket, those are genuinely outstanding numbers from a player who continues to defy the notion that his best days are behind him.
He signed off in style too, contributing 43 runs from 31 deliveries alongside figures of 2-8 from three overs as the Rapids dismantled Kent by 83 runs in his final appearance. It was a vintage Raza performance — composed, match-winning, and utterly professional.
International Duty Calls
Raza's departure from New Road was always coming, driven by the international commitments he holds in the highest regard. Zimbabwe face Bangladesh in a three-match T20 series this month before hosting India in a further three T20 internationals, and the skipper made clear that representing his country remains the ultimate priority.
"I hold my international commitments with Zimbabwe very high. I made a promise with them that I'll not miss a white-ball game," he explained. "As much as it's sad [to leave Worcestershire], I'm actually happy that I'm going to represent my country, which is for me the ultimate honour."
It's a perspective that speaks volumes about Raza's character — a player who commands significant value on the overseas market yet places national duty above all else.
Rapids Carry On Without Him
Worcestershire, to their credit, showed they have the depth to cope with losing such an influential player. Following Raza's departure, they travelled to Cardiff and defeated Glamorgan by 15 runs, keeping their push for a T20 Blast quarter-final place firmly on track. That win will do no harm to their outright odds in the competition either, with bookmakers likely to take notice of a side demonstrating genuine resilience.
As for Raza himself, the door is emphatically open. "Hopefully when the opportunity comes and Worcestershire want me back, I'll come back in a heartbeat," he said. For a Rapids side that will have seen exactly what he brings to a dressing room and a match situation, it would be a surprise if that call doesn't come sooner rather than later. As a former coach, I've rarely seen an overseas player integrate so effectively in such a short window — and in T20 cricket, that kind of all-round quality at the top of the order is priceless.
