For the upcoming Vitality T20 Blast, Northamptonshire has signed Zimbabwe T20I skipper, Sikandar Raza on Wednesday.
The all-rounder has a lot of experience in the shortest format of the game as he has played more than 200 T20s in his cricketing career so far. After being signed, Raza asserted that it would be a different challenge for him and also that he loves playing in England. "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," Sikandar Raza as per the statement by Northamptonshire. The 37-year-old is currently ranked fifth when we talk about the ICC Men's T20I All-rounder world rankings. He has scored more than 4,000 runs and snapped more than 100 wickets since his debut in 2010. The right-hand batter recently became the first player to score five consecutive T20I half-centuries and he is also nominated as ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year. "We're delighted with the signing of Sikander for the Blast. 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," Northhampshire head coach John Sadler stated. Raza will join the team ahead of the tournament and he will be available for all the 14 games of the tournament's group stage. "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," the 37-year-old asserted. "Looking at the side we have a decent squad and a lot of good players, I'm looking forward to using my experience to help us win as many games as possible and help the younger players as well," the all-rounder concluded. (ANI)
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