Latest news with #Raza
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Have bat, will travel: Raza and cricket's wanderers follow in footsteps of WG Grace
Do you remember the first of Zimbabwe's three ODIs against Bangladesh in 2022? No? Let me refresh your memory. Bangladesh's batters had racked up 303 for two. Zimbabwe had lost both openers by the end of their second over. They were 62 for three when Sikandar Raza came to the crease. He scored 135 of the 240 runs the home side needed and Zimbabwe won with nearly two overs to spare. Raza rescued them in the ODI that followed, too – another century – and ended up top-scoring in Zimbabwe's first series win in three years. The then 36-year-old put his determined spirit down to his training in the Pakistan Air Force: 'I couldn't become a fighter pilot,' he said, 'but I think, as a person, I will always be a fighter.' Advertisement Related: The Spin | The summer of 2005 without Pietersen? Imagining World Test finals of the past There's plenty of dash about him – but this week it was literal. On Saturday afternoon he was scoring a half-century for his country in a Test match against England at Trent Bridge. Twenty-four hours later he was hitting the winning runs at the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore. The journey – he flew economy – included a near 100-mile drive between the Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports. Next time he should borrow an F-16. Raza's feat has raised cheers and eyebrows in equal measure. For some – especially delighted Lahore Qalandars fans – it is the ultimate heroic expression of club commitment. For others it is one more harbinger of a cricket calendar ready to collapse from franchise overload (it's worth noting that the all-rounder had already forgone this year's Tests against Ireland and Bangladesh for his PSL commitments). Imad Wasim, who played for more franchise teams than any other player in 2023 and 2024, summed up Raza's decision thus: 'If you're getting paid, you'll go.' Concerns are understandable. The fixture crush (and sums on offer) leave players subject to temptation and the matches themselves open to abuse. Sri Lanka Cricket were certainly unimpressed earlier this year by the behaviour of Dasun Shanaka, whose first-class side, Singhalese Sports Club, had recalled him from the ILT20 league in Dubai. You might argue that the all-rounder had done all he could on his mercy mission to help them avoid relegation, hitting 123 off 87 balls at No 7. By the time he was out, mid-morning on day three, he'd dragged SSC back into contention. Advertisement And then, at lunchtime, he vanished from the ground. A concussion substitute had been agreed after he was hit playing a sweep shot, which made it even stranger when he showed up that night in Dubai, a four-and-a-half-hour flight away, batting for his ILT20 team. His 34 off 12 deliveries helped Dubai Capitals to victory and never has a doctor's note seemed more convenient. Shanaka insisted that he had told SSC he was leaving early, but Sri Lanka Cricket still fined him $10,000. But it's easy to shake heads, wag fingers and ignore that this dilemma is as old as the sport itself. Overlapping obligations are baked into cricket's history, including one of its greatest origin stories of all. WG Grace did not live in an era when he could jump in a jumbo and race above the clouds to his next fixture, but he did a good job of maximising the rail and stagecoach routes. On Friday 11 August 1876, MCC had been asked to follow on in their second innings against Kent and Grace's next game for Gloucestershire was already in the back of his mind. 'As I had to play at Bristol the following Monday, and did not think we could save the match, I meant to get home as soon as possible. Consequently I opened my shoulders to the bowling.' Talk about unintended consequences: hHe had hit a hundred by the close and spent Saturday racking up the first triple-century in first-class cricket. It took him most of Sunday to get back from Canterbury. He opened the batting against Nottinghamshire on Monday morning and scored 177 (including an all-run seven). After taking eight wickets on the Wednesday he headed out to bat the following day at Cheltenham, and finished with another triple-century. Those 839 runs in eight days were the beginning of his legend. In 1962, Garry Sobers was determined to squeeze in every innings he could as South Australia's 'guest player'. Due to play in West Indies's first Test against India on Friday 16 February, he spent the Monday compiling 251 in a Sheffield Shield match against Richie Benaud's New South Wales, and the Tuesday taking six for 72 to secure the game. The 55-hour journey from Adelaide to Trinidad was one of the longest flight routes in existence – and Sobers just made it on to the field. Advertisement And what of Graham Gooch? He, too, was determined to give his all both to club and country in 1988, when the fifth and final day of the Sri Lanka Test clashed with the opening day of Essex's title-chasing match against Surrey. Happily, both matches were in London. Unhappily, England failed to wrap up their game at Lord's before lunch as they should have done. Essex, fielding only 10 men, watched Darren Bicknell and Alec Stewart put on a century partnership at the Oval as Gooch sweated in the Lord's turret. Even worse, when England did finally get the single run they needed for victory, the presentation was delayed because the BBC, who insisted on showing it live, was waiting for Neighbours to finish. It just goes to show that – to paraphrase St Paul – while all things are possible, they're not all profitable. That was certainly the conclusion Sunil Narine came to when contemplating the 9,000-mile round trip between Dallas and Birmingham required to get him from Major League Cricket to the Vitality Blast finals day two summers ago. Perhaps Shakib Al Hasan learned it too, after flying all the way to the UK for a single championship game last September and finding himself with a ban for an illegal bowling action. Time to think global, play local …
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Pakistan is begging for money but spending like billionaire: Star cricketer gifted golden iPhone due to..., his name is...
Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) In these collection of pictures, why star cricketer is getting golden iPhones in PSL 2025 when Pakistan has been begging for money around the world. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Lahore Qalandars won PSL 2025 title with a win over Quetta Gladiators in the final in Lahore on Sunday. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza travelled around to help Lahore Qalandars win the final. Raza travelled from England to Pakistan via Dubai within one day to play the final. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Sikandar Raza scored 22 off 7 balls in PSL 2025 to help Lahore Qalandars chase down 202 to win with one ball to spare. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Sikandar Raza was gifted a golden iPhone by Lahore Qalandars after PSL 2025 final. Pakistan has been begging nations for money as well as the World Bank. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Lahore Qalandars is owned by businessman Fawad Rana. He is the managing director of Doha-based QALCO. He and his team Lahore Qalandar introduced PDP (Player Development Program) that discovered players like Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Salman Irshad, Danyal Ahmed and Muhammad Naeem Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Lahore Qalandars had also gifted golden iPhone to their captain Shaheen Afridi earlier in the PSL 2025 season this year. Pakistan Cricket Board are saving money by not implementing DRS in PSL 2025 and Pakistan-Bangladesh series.
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First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Imad Wasim unimpressed by Sikandar Raza's last-minute return for PSL Final: 'Money can do things for you'
Sikandar Raza made headlines globally for representing Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League final, arriving at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium just 10 minutes before toss, less than 24 hours after the one-off Test between England and Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, Nottingham concluded. read more Imad Wasim described Sikandar Raza as a 'wonderful human being and a proper team player', even if he wasn't entirely impressed with his feat of playing a Test and the PSL final in less than 24 hours. Image: AP/Reuters Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza made headlines globally for his extraordinary feat of playing a Test against England as well as the Pakistan Super League final on back-to-back days, with the two games happening more than 5,000 kilometres away from one another. Raza has received widespread praise from experts and fans alike for his passion for the game, representing his nation in the highest form of the game without sacrificing on commitment to Lahore Qalandars in the PSL. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Imad Wasim feels financial incentive led to Sikandar Raza's return Former Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim, however, isn't one to think along those lines and believes it's the love for money that inspired Raza to return to Lahore in time for the PSL final, in which the Qalandars took on Quetta Gladiators and won. 'Like Shoaib Akhtar said — money can do things for you,' Wasim was quoted by Geo Super as saying. 'If you're getting paid, you'll go. I travel a lot too. Sometimes, one match ends, and the next day you're playing another. I've traveled 24 hours straight and gone directly into a match. So yes, money can make different things happen,' he added. Despite offering a take on Raza's return that is starkly different from the popular sentiment, Wasim heaped praise on Raza for being a 'wonderful human being and a proper team player'. 'Sikandar Raza is a great player — he's been performing consistently around the world for the last couple of years. He even won the ILT20 final for his team. 'He's a wonderful human being and a proper team player. I've played both with and against him, and the way he has performed recently, you can definitely call him a match-winner,' Wasim added. Raza had left the Qalandars camp to play Zimbabwe's one-off Test against England at Trent Bridge, which ended inside three days with the Ben Stokes-led hosts collecting an innings and 45-run victory. The spinner dismissed opener Zak Crawley (124), who was one of three Englishmen to score a century in that Test, and later scored an attacking 60 off 68 balls. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD By the time the one-off Test concluded, there was less than 24 hours left for the Qalandars-Gladiators final to get underway. Raza went straight to the airport after the match got over and boarded a flight to Pakistan. The Qalandars, meanwhile, had two team sheets ready as they were unsure if Raza would reach the venue on time for the match. One had the Pakistani-born Zimbabwean, while the other had veteran Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan. In the end, Raza arrived at the Gaddafi Stadium just 10 minutes before the toss. And in the end, he would steer Lahore Qalandars to their third PSL title with an unbeaten 22 off 7 balls, which helped the Shaheen Afridi-led side chase down the 202-run target set by the Gladiators with a delivery to spare.
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Journeyman Raza blasts Lahore Qalandars to PSL title
Lahore Qalandars won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with a six-wicket win against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday night, with Sikandar Raza hitting the winning runs after only landing back in Lahore minutes prior to the start of the final. The 39-year old Zimbabwean landed in Lahore just ten minutes before the toss, after scoring a half century in his country's innings defeat in the Nottingham Test against England a day before. Needing 13 in the last over to complete a 202-run chase set by Quetta, Raza completed the task during his seven-ball 22 not out with two sixes and as many boundaries. Sikandar Raza (L) celebrates with teammates their victory at the end of the PSL. AFP He hit a maximum and a four in the last over to seal the victory with one ball remaining. Sri Lankan Kusal Perera led the chase with an undefeated 31-ball 62 studded with five boundaries and four sixes, adding 59 runs during the unbroken fifth wicket stand. Opener Mohammad Naeem scored 46, with half a dozen sixes and one boundary, and Abdullah Shafique hit 41 to set Lahore on course for the highest-ever chase in a PSL final. President Asif Ali Zardari (3rdR) hands over the trophy to Shaheen Shah Afridi. AFP Lahore sealed their third title following triumphs in 2022 and 2023. Raza said it was unbelievable to reach Lahore and achieve success. "It is unbelievable, batted for 40-odd overs in the Test, flew to Dubai where I had breakfast and then lunch in Abu Dhabi and arrived minutes from the toss, so it's incredible," he said. Hasan Nawaz scored a brilliant 76 to lift Quetta to 201-9 after they won the toss and batted. Coming in at 21-2, Nawaz added 67 for the fourth wicket with Avishka Fernando (29) and another 46 with Dinesh Chandimal (22) to steady the ship. Lahore Qalanders' players carry teammate Sikandar Raza as they celebrate after their victory in the PSL. AFP Lahore skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi was the pick of Lahore's bowlers with 3-24. Quetta mystery spinners Abrar Ahmed (1-27) and Usman Tariq (1-38) had squeezed Lahore and when Raza arrived the home team still needed 57 runs off the final 20 balls. It was Faheem Ashraf (28) who lifted Quetta past 200, taking 23 off the last Salman Mirza over. The six-team PSL was suspended on May 9 following the conflict between Pakistan and India. However, the league resumed on May 17 after a ceasefire between the two countries. Lahore Qalandars won the PSL titles in 2022 and 2023 and with its third win equaled Islamabad United's record of three PSL titles. Agencies
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Ramiz Raja hails Sikandar Raza's heroics
Sikandar Raza flew from England at the 11th hour and smashed an unbeaten 22 off just seven deliveries to help Lahore secure third HBL PSL title. Photo: PCB Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja on Monday lavished praise on Sikandar Raza for his match-winning performance and unwavering commitment that played a crucial role in Lahore Qalandars' triumph in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 final. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramiz commended Raza's extraordinary dedication, revealing that the Zimbabwean all-rounder changed multiple flights just to make it to the match in time. "The way Sikandar showed commitment is truly admirable. He not only managed to reach Pakistan against the odds but also played and led his team to victory," Ramiz said. The 62-year-old added that while the win was a team effort, Raza's performance stood out. "Sikandar Raza played a phenomenal innings in the final. Every player contributed, but he added the winning spark. Perera also played a fantastic knock and played his part in the win," he added. Ramiz revealed behind-the-scenes details, noting that Raza arrived in Lahore just hours before the final. "Lahore Qalandars had prepared two squad listsone with Sikandar Raza and another with Shakib Al Hasan, in case Raza couldn't make it in time." he revealed. "He landed in Lahore around 6 PM on the day of the final. When he arrived at the ground, he bowled just three or four deliveries in the warm-up and then went straight onto the field," Ramiz shared. The former PCB chief described Raza's commitment as a testament to his love for cricket and loyalty to the Lahore Qalandars. "This is a remarkable example of dedication. It shows Sikandar's love for the game and the franchise. Lahore Qalandars, in return, take great care of their players, and we have all seen that," he said. PM congratulates Qalandars Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Lahore Qalandars on lifting their third HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, and praised all participating teams for demonstrating what he called "excellent sportsmanship" throughout a disrupted but thrilling tenth edition of the tournament. "Lahore Qalandars successfully achieved the target after a thrilling match," Sharif said in a statement issued from his office. "All the teams involved in PSL 10 showed excellent sportsmanship." The prime minister, currently on a four-nation diplomatic visit with his first stop in Türkiye, also extended congratulations to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the entire administration for organising the high-profile event under challenging circumstances.
