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RAWALPINDI: Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza added another chapter to his remarkable T20I career on Thursday, becoming only the second bowler from his country to claim 100 wickets in the format during the tri-series fixture against Sri Lanka.
Raza hit the milestone in trademark style, cleaning up Kamindu Mendis for nine in his third over while defending 162.
With this wicket, the all-rounder joined teammate Richard Ngarava in Zimbabwe’s elite 100-wicket club, Ngarava currently leads the tally with 106 scalps.
Most wickets for Zimbabwe in men’s T20Is:
Richard Ngarava – 106 wickets in 89* matches
Sikandar Raza – 100 wickets in 125* matches
Blessing Muzarabani – 93 wickets in 83 matches
Luke Jongwe – 66 wickets in 65 matches
Tendai Chatara – 65 wickets in 60 matches
Notably, Raza has also become only the third player in men’s T20I history to score over 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets, joining Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi.
Shakib tops the list with 2551 runs and 149 wickets, followed by Nabi with 2417 runs and 104 dismissals. Raza sits firmly alongside them with 2823 runs to go with his newly completed century of wickets.
But the night belonged to him in more ways than one. Raza’s all-round brilliance powered Zimbabwe to a commanding 67-run win over Sri Lanka, earning him the Player of the Match award.
After being sent in to bat, Zimbabwe posted a competitive 162-8, built around Brian Bennett’s steady 49 and Raza’s explosive 47 off just 32 balls.
In reply, Sri Lanka never found momentum, folding for 95 as Zimbabwe sealed a comprehensive victory.
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