By Zim Sport Live Writer
Zimbabwe T20 captain Sikandar Raza announced his arrival in The Hundred in spectacular fashion after smashing a match-winning cameo on debut to guide MI London to a thrilling four-wicket victory over London Spirit at Lord’s on Thursday.
Drafted into the side as a temporary replacement for Afghanistan superstar Rashid Khan, who is on international duty, Raza wasted little time making his mark with a blistering 32 off just 11 deliveries as MI London successfully chased down 161 with six balls to spare.
The experienced Zimbabwe all-rounder changed the complexion of the contest with a breathtaking innings that featured four towering sixes, including a colossal 105-metre strike that almost cleared Lord’s.
Raza arrived at the crease with MI London still needing quick runs after the dismissal of Nicholas Pooran, and immediately shifted the momentum in his team’s favour by launching his first, fourth and seventh deliveries into the stands.
His explosive partnership of 41 runs from just 18 balls with captain Sam Curran put MI London firmly in control before he was eventually dismissed with 10 balls remaining, leaving Ollie Pope to complete the chase.
The victory lifted MI London to second place in The Hundred standings while London Spirit became the first men’s or women’s team to be eliminated from the knockout race.
Earlier, Raza also played his part with the ball as MI London restricted Spirit to 160 for five despite a half-century from South African youngster Lhuan-dre Pretorius.
Speaking after his dream debut, Raza admitted the whirlwind nature of his recent schedule had made the performance even more special.
“Four days ago I was in Sri Lanka and I’m not really sure what day or date it is, but it’s nice to be part of The Hundred and have a debut like that,” Raza said.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start. Really, I just closed my eyes and swung as hard as I could.
“It was nice to get a few out of the middle and you need to remember the complexion of a game can completely change in 10 balls.”
Raza only linked up with MI London this week after completing Zimbabwe’s recent white-ball assignments against Bangladesh and India, before a brief stint in the Lanka Premier League.
The 39-year-old has enjoyed an excellent return to English cricket this summer after also starring for Worcestershire in the Vitality Blast, where he scored 258 runs and claimed nine wickets in nine appearances.
His immediate impact for MI London will further underline his reputation as one of the world’s leading T20 all-rounders as he continues another busy franchise season.