Rawalpindi: Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza has expressed his delight at the possibility of playing against Pakistan, the country where he was born when the Chevrons will face green shirts in the forthcoming white-ball series in Rawalpindi.
The 32-year-old Sikandar was born in Sialkot before moving to Zimbabwe at the age of 15 in 2001 with his parent.
“I have a special bond with this country, I was born here, my friends and relatives are based here. The more special thing is that I came to Pakistan and I’m representing Zimbabwe in these unprecedented times,” Sikandar said.
Raza accepts the forthcoming series will be vital for Zimbabwe as it is part of the inaugural Super League that is filling in as the fundamental course for qualification for the 2023 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
“No one can feel the pain of not qualifying for the World Cup as we couldn’t qualify for the (2019) World Cup by a margin of two runs,” he added.
“Not just Pakistan series but every series is important for us because our long-term target is not to play in qualifiers again. We want to make sure we qualify directly to the World Cup,” he maintained.
It must be noted that both sides will take on each other in the first ODI on Friday (October 30). The final two fixtures of the series are scheduled to take on November 1 and 3.
After the conclusion of the ODI series, three T20I matches are scheduled for 7, 8, and 10 November, which have been moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi.
Read: Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza hopes to upset Pakistan on upcoming tour
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