Northamptonshire confirm signing of Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza for 2024 T20 Blast

By thecricketer.com

UK: Northamptonshire have confirmed the signing Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza for the 2024 T20 Blast, as previously revealed by The Cricketer on January 3.

The allrounder will be available for the entire 14-match group stage following Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.

Raza is currently rated as one of the best allrounders in T20I cricket – he is fifth in the ICC rankings – and recently hit the headlines when he scored his fifth successive half-century, a record in men’s T20Is.

The 37-year-old, who has earned 80 T20I caps for Zimbabwe, will provide both batting firepower and an additional spin-bowling option for Northants, who finished sixth in the North Group last season and have only reached the knockout stages once since winning the Blast in 2016.

^{Raza currently sits fifth in the ICC’s men’s T20I allrounder rankings [Quinn Rooney/Getty Images]}

In total, Raza has scored over 4,000 runs at a strike rate just under 135 and taken 117 wickets with an economy of 7.34 in 203 career T20 appearances, earning contracts in the IPL, BPL, CPL, PSL, and Lanka Premier League.

On joining the Steelbacks, Raza said: “I’m delighted to be coming to Northamptonshire.

“This will be a different challenge for me but I’ve loved playing cricket in England in the past. It’s always been a wish to play in the Vitality Blast so I’m looking forward to fulfilling that.

“I would like to entertain the fans and put a smile on their face with as many wins as possible. Our first task is to secure a quarter-final spot and then take that momentum and belief into the latter stages and hopefully lift the trophy.”

Head coach, John Sadler, added: “He’s a very experienced, high performer on a global scale. He’s a three-dimensional cricketer who always has an impact in every game he plays. We know he’s also a fierce competitor which will be fantastic for us.”