Lahore: It was a whirlwind 24 hours for Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who was batting rather well in sub-10 degrees in Nottingham to save a Test match for his country and a few moments later, found himself on a multi-flight trip to Pakistan to reach in time for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore. Raza was batting on 60 at one moment and scoring the winning runs for Lahore Qalandars at another, while hitting 22 off just seven balls with the target being in excess of 200 against the Quetta Gladiators.
“I am here to do a job, and god forbid, if we happened to lose the game then at least in my heart I knew I was with my brothers,” Raza said after the nervy finish on Sunday at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
“I know the team truly wanted me here, given the efforts the owners and the captains went through over the last 24-36 hours to get me here. If I tell you, it’s unbelievable.
“Bowled 25 overs [in the Test] the day before yesterday, batted for 20 overs yesterday. Had dinner in Birmingham, breakfast in Dubai, drove to Abu Dhabi for lunch, took a flight and had dinner in Pakistan. I guess this is the life of a professional cricketer and I’m truly humbled and blessed to have that life,” Raza added.
