The failed pilot talks on how is flying high now with top performance on the field for Zimbabwe
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Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/sikandar-raza-on-cloud-nine-after-high-flying-performance-for-zimbabwe-1.89881401
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NewsTranscript
00:00Assalam-o-Alaikum, good afternoon, namaskar, satsriyakaal, and welcome to all of you to another episode of Cricket Unplugged.
00:07Today I have a cricketing star who at late has been flying high. Whatever he's been doing, or rather whatever he's touching, has been turning to gold.
00:16In fact, I know him for almost 10 years when he played in Dubai for my cricket team, Danube. And at that time, we saw that he had talent.
00:26And of course, he had already entered the Zimbabwe cricket team and was showing what he was made of.
00:31When he started cricket, but before cricket, he wanted to become a pilot. And he almost passed the test. But I believe, because of the eye test, he could not become a pilot.
00:40Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are talking about the Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. When I say Zimbabwe Ka Sikandar, Sikandar Raza, welcome to the show.
00:48Anisbhai, thank you very much. Assalam-o-Alaikum and hello to everyone listening to us. It's lovely to be on your show, Anisbhai.
00:56You know what? I'll be very honest today. It's my pleasure to have a player who is in the form of his life.
01:02Sir, Anisbhai, the pleasure will always be mine. I mean, especially being on this show. Because Anisbhai, people who have been with me for a long time during my journey,
01:14they'll always be special to me. And Anisbhai, you're one of them anyway. So, it's my honour to be on your show.
01:21Thank you, bro. Thank you, bro. You know, without wasting much time, I want you to talk through what I gave you in my introduction that you wanted to become a pilot.
01:31And then what brought you into cricket. Could you just give us a little insight to our viewers?
01:36Yeah. So, Anisbhai, being a fighter pilot, not a commercial one, was always my passion. And I passed the test. I got into PF.
01:45College Lotto. Then I did three and a half years there. Unfortunately, I failed a small eye test.
01:52And they said, I'm okay to be an aeronautical engineer or even to be a commercial pilot or
01:57join aviation and ground branches. And I said, no, my passion was to be a fighter pilot. And
02:03if I can't be a fighter pilot, then I would respectfully like to leave. And I left.
02:07And then I went to Scotland, did my graduation in software engineering. And then I came to Zimbabwe
02:12and Anisbhai, destiny. That's all I can say.
02:17You said you came to Zimbabwe. So, I believe it was your parents who moved to Zimbabwe, which made
02:22you also to settle down. Yeah. Anisbhai, that's a good question. Because people think I came to
02:27Zimbabwe for cricket. I never. I came to Zimbabwe with my family. They stayed here. I went back to
02:33Pakistan, did my second year of A-levels, then came back to Zim and then went to Scotland for
02:38my college and university, then came back and then started playing cricket. And I wasn't going
02:43anywhere until a gentleman named Mr. Givmar Makoni saw me, gave me an opportunity. Nine
02:48years later, Anisbhai, here we are. Alhamdulillah. I believe it was 2013 when you first made your
02:57ODI debut, if I'm not wrong? That's correct, Anisbhai. 2013 was my debut against Bangladesh
03:03in March, yes. All right. And then in the last nine years, you've gone a long way,
03:09if I'm not wrong. Cricket has taken a full circle for you. Alhamdulillah, cricket has taken a full
03:16circle for me, Anisbhai. I've done global trotting. I've been to different places. I've played different
03:25cricket leagues. Alhamdulillah, being with the national team also. These are the things that
03:31have been very helpful. You made your debut in 2013 in Test Cricket 2. And I believe Test Cricket
03:38is the highest format. And every player wants to show that what he's made of. But having said that,
03:44when I look at your career, you just played 16 Test matches. Can you tell me why is that?
03:49And what is the reason Zimbabwe get to play such less Test matches?
03:54So, Anisbhai, I honestly believe Test Cricket is the highest form of cricket, is the purest form
03:59of cricket, is the real test of anyone's ability. And it's my favorite format as well. And Anisbhai,
04:06the truth of the matter is, there's a lot of cost involved in playing Test matches. It's a very high
04:11cost kind of fixture. So, because we don't get to play a lot of international cricket,
04:18so we've tried to focus and we've tried to invest all that money into white ball cricket.
04:23And yes, it has taken Test Cricket a little back. But looking at the fixtures at Anisbhai,
04:28I think we've got four to six Test matches this year. We've got another four to six.
04:32That may not be a lot. But as long as Zimbabwe carries on playing Test Cricket, I feel like
04:38Test Cricket taught me cricket, if that makes sense. And I believe if one can understand and
04:43play Test Cricket better, then I think he's got a very good chance of being a very good white ball
04:48player as well. So, yes, it's not ideal that I've only played 16 or 17 Test matches in nine years.
04:56But I'm very grateful that I've managed to play those as well because that taught me a lot about
04:59cricket. All right. It wouldn't be fair if I don't talk about your first 100. Tell us about it.
05:09So, Anisbhai, we went to Sri Lanka and we won our ODI series 3-2. It was 2-2. Then we
05:19played the fifth one. Then we beat Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe became the first ever country to chase
05:25300 in Sri Lanka. It hadn't been done before. And then in the thing, our backs were against
05:30the wall. We were, I think if I'm not mistaken, 50-5. And then we ended up taking a lead of 300
05:36and something. So, yes, that Test 100, I mean, I remember during the lunch break, I speak to my
05:42batting coach at that time, Lance Kluzina, who's a batting coach again now. And he said,
05:46what is your plan? And I said, I'm going to try and go guns blazing. I feel like
05:50if we allow their ballers to bowl, they've got five wickets just by us being blocking.
05:55I'm going to try something different. I'm going to try being, some people call it brave,
06:00some people call it stupid. If it works out, if it's brave, if it doesn't work out,
06:03then I look stupid. But I said, I'm happy to take that chance. And he said, that's good enough.
06:08And I think I played ultra aggressively at the start. And then I settled down in my inning.
06:13Then we picked a lot of 1s and 2s. But Alhamdulillah, I kept finding my boundaries. And
06:17before I knew it, I was ending the day on 99 not out. I went to bed, woke up, first ball of the
06:24next morning. Back foot punched through covers for two. And that was my first 100 in Test cricket.
06:30I'm sure that must be very satisfying. You know, a Test 100 is very special to every cricketer.
06:36100 percent, Anishbhai. It remains one of my best 100s.
06:41I know, unfortunately, Zimbabwe, I believe, went on to lose that Test match. They dominated the
06:46Test match. But I believe Sri Lanka chased at the back of a couple of good innings from the
06:50lower order.
06:52Yes. So, Dikwela had a good inning. Acela had a good inning. So, these guys, the lower end,
07:00especially after five down, batter number six, seven and eight. I think Dillon Pereira
07:05also contributed as well. So, yeah, they chased down 300. And unfortunately, we lost the Test
07:10match. But we came back with a lot of lessons, a lot of good memories and trophies and personal
07:14accolades. So, there was a lot of things that we achieved in that particular tour.
07:18All right. You know, you hit the nail when you mentioned that when you play
07:21Test cricket, you are able to play the white ball cricket better way. Now, this is what I
07:27want to talk about to all the youngsters who listen. Why is that somebody who plays Test
07:33cricket can play the white ball cricket well?
07:37So, on this way, I feel like the Test cricket brings the best out of you. It challenges you
07:42in every way. And if any youngster wants to be successful in white ball cricket, I would
07:46encourage them to make sure they play their red ball cricket as well. Red ball cricket
07:50teaches you to bat time. Red ball cricket teaches you to handle a situation. Red ball
07:54teaches you when your body's giving up and how mentally you stay strong and you carry
08:00on because there will be times when you're cramping and your body's giving up and you're
08:04feeling lazy and the legs are not moving, the feet are not moving. But you can train
08:08yourself mentally to carry on. Test cricket is a test of your fitness. So, you can always
08:14judge yourself saying, listen, I couldn't do X, Y, Z because my fitness was lacking.
08:19Test cricket also teaches you that opposition is always looking to expose your weakness.
08:23It teaches you that these are your weaknesses and you can go back into training and nets
08:27and work on your weakness. Test cricket, for me, teaches you everything there is about
08:31cricket. And once you can play more and more red ball cricket or test cricket,
08:34then you can take those lessons from red ball cricket and bring into white ball cricket
08:38and you have a very good chance of being successful. I always say that there may not
08:43be a lot of examples out there, but there's a very good chance of a red ball successful
08:48cricketer to be successful in white ball. But there may not be many options or players out
08:55there who were extremely good in white ball cricket and ended up dominating red ball cricket
08:59as well. But there are a lot of good examples of cricketers who dominated the red ball cricket
09:04and dominated the white ball cricket. So, youngsters who are listening to the show and
09:08who will probably go on to play cricket in the near future, it's the test cricket. It's the
09:13four-day cricket or the five-day cricket which builds your temperament. And Sikandar Raza has
09:18said that you learn a lot of it. Your temperament is tested, which is the physical, mental and
09:23emotional trait of a player. And that's what we could see in Sikandar Raza. Now, I want to come
09:29to that, you know, your last phase of cricket in Raza. I would not say the last phase. You will
09:33have, Mashallah, many more. The last one month where you, Mashallah, scored, I think, more than
09:39600 runs at an average of 100. You picked up some 11-12 wickets at 20-odd. So, before I come to the
09:47T20 World Cup qualifiers, I want to talk about this two back-to-back hundreds. Tell me about
09:52that chases. Like, what made you believe in yourself that, no, you can chase down this total
09:57of 300-290 against a strong Bangladesh side? So, Aneesbhai, there were a lot of things that
10:04were going against us. We have lost to them in God knows how many years. We haven't won against
10:09them in years. We've lost 19 in a row. And these things started to bother me. And the other things
10:15that was bothering me that some of my very good friends were injured. Not that it's anybody's
10:19fault. But you know what? We want to be successful. And I want to taste success. I want to hear…
10:25I want to sing the same songs or different songs in my changing room that the opposition always
10:29sings in their changing room. I want to celebrate with my fans, with Zimbabwean fans. There has to
10:33be happiness. We can't just lie down every time. So, I did a lot of analysis of myself. How can
10:40they get me out? I did analysis of them. I did an extensive program of my own training that this is
10:45what they're going to look to do. This is what I want to do. This is what they want to achieve.
10:48This is what I want to achieve. Some of the guys getting injured. And I think the last nail had to
10:54be that our backs were against the wall again. And we were 46-3 if I'm not mistaken or something
10:59like that in one of the games. And then I think we were 28-3 or something like that. And that was
11:05that because I had trained properly and because I felt like my training was very spot on. So,
11:11people only see me scoring in the game. But some people don't understand that a lot of the work,
11:15if not most of the work is done behind the scenes. So, I prepared for this tour really well. And
11:21Alhamdulillah, to see getting all the rewards that I did, it's very satisfying.
11:27Okay. Now, you mentioned that you worked a lot behind the scenes. That is what brings in
11:32the results in the actual match. But when you're scoring, I've seen a lot of teams,
11:38especially the teams like Zimbabwe and the UAE's and the Oman's, the teams which don't get to play
11:44a lot of cricket, rather one-day cricket, they are able to chase it down 160-180 in a 20-over
11:52game. But when it is about 250 runs, most of the teams unfortunately fold. So, what is that
11:59issue with most of the teams? I want you to just show it or explain to the players,
12:04how do you make sure that you stand in and ensure that you can back 50-overs and win the ODIs?
12:11So, my advice to them, because these countries play a lot of T20 cricket, so my advice to them,
12:17and this is what I sometimes do as well, when I'm chasing a big total, I always work backwards.
12:23So, I don't look at 1-300, I look at 300-1, which means I say to myself, what is a good total that
12:30my team can chase in the last 20-overs if we have wickets in hand? And my answer to that would be
12:35150-160 is a good total. So, that takes a lot of pressure away from us. So, that means we have
12:41to be 140-150 in 30-overs for three. And if we can do that in East Bay, and if UAE, Oman, and
12:48the other countries that you mentioned who do not get to play a lot of ODI cricket, if you do that,
12:51you'll see that suddenly there's a sense of calmness. You're not looking at 300 now, you're
12:58looking at 130 or 140, or 150 in 30-overs, which is four and a half, five and over anyway.
13:03So, there's a calmness in the changing room, there's a calmness when the players are
13:08batting because there's no sense of panic. Sometimes I feel like the panic sets in because
13:13players or teams look at, we have to chase 300, and it's over number one. And then you always feel
13:20like you're getting behind the game, behind the game, and then you ended up doing something that
13:23you shouldn't. So, in East Bay, I try to work backwards when I'm chasing a total.
13:28And that kind of calms me down. There's numbers in my head, there's positions that I have to be in.
13:34So, all these things kind of calm me down. There's a purpose, there's a direction. And once I have
13:39that, I feel like I bat a lot better. Well, it's easier said than done. Because
13:46not only the teams which don't get to play a lot of matches, I've seen big teams also,
13:52when there is a target of 300 set or 290, they start well, but they're not able to finish well.
13:58And I've always believed the player's temperament is actually tested when he's able to chase a
14:04target. I don't take away the credit when you set a target, when a guy scores 100. But when 100
14:10comes when chasing a target, it's special. Do you agree to that? I think me agreeing to that would,
14:16you know, it's like taking some credit from you. I don't know in East Bay. I like to score 100
14:21batting first. I like to score 100 batting second. Maybe, I haven't really thought about it.
14:25But if you say that in East Bay, then it does have a point. Because when you're chasing and the
14:30wickets are falling from the other end, there's a lot more variables in your head than there were
14:34if you were batting first. So, I guess chasing is definitely special. Yes. Well, I saw both the
14:41innings where you scored those 100s, Sikandar. And there was a time when the run rate had crept to
14:45seven. The Bangladesh bowlers were putting pressure. So, at any time, you felt that,
14:50no, God, I need to go over the top and get that boundary in that over and make sure that I bring
14:54the run rate down. So, in East Bay, there was a time. But I always say to myself that I mustn't
15:02target everybody. And I must pick my targets. Who should I take a calculated chance? And I must back
15:08my strength. So, there was a time in East Bay when, for example, I remember there was a spell
15:13of two or three overs where Tuscan bowled quite well. And we only managed to get maybe 12 or 15
15:17of his three overs. But I always said to myself that I was counting the overs. I was looking at
15:23the scoreboard. And I was like, if Tuscan has bowled eight overs and he hasn't gotten me out,
15:28they're going to have to rely on somebody at depth. And Harari Sports Club being a very big
15:32ground, there's a lot of big pockets where you can always run twos. And if you time it well,
15:37it's a four on one side of the boundary. The wicket we were playing on one side of the wicket
15:42was quite small. So, I said I can always tee off there as well. So, I never felt that I'm behind.
15:46All I said was, if I can ride the wave now, I will be rewarded later. So, I think the maximum
15:52the run rate went to was 7.5. We said we made a conscious effort that must never touch eight or
15:57eight and above. And I remember in the first ODI, I think we needed 75 in 10 overs to win the game.
16:03And that's exactly where we wanted to be. So, Alhamdulillah, once the tough phase come,
16:08if a batter can wait out, more than not, you'll see that the good times follow after.
16:17Well, again, I would say easier said than done. When the run rate goes up about 7.5,
16:22you want to take chances. Sometimes it comes up, sometimes it doesn't. But you mentioned a very
16:26good point that you need to target. Your mind has to work like a computer. This is the bowler I'm
16:31going to target. This is the bowler I'm going to play around. Well said, Sikandar. Now, you
16:36mentioned also about a couple of hundreds which came along with you. The hundreds by your partners.
16:42I remember 100 by Innos and Kia. You know, these guys, we've never heard about them. Tell us about
16:47these two youngsters who scored hundreds with you, who made it possible. One was by a captain also.
16:53Yeah. So, Inno and I played for the same franchise. And I rate that kid really highly. And I remember
16:57speaking to the powers as well. I said, this kid is really good. And given the opportunity,
17:02he will shine. So, when Inno and I were batting and I remember, Inno didn't play the T20s and I
17:06did. And we won. And he said, Razabahi, I'm really hungry for this team's success as well
17:10and for mine as well. And I'm going to get 100. So, we went into the nets and I spoke to him and
17:15we worked on a few things. And we said, XYZ can happen. It's not a bad thing that you didn't play
17:20the T20s because you have just solely prepared yourself for ODIs. And inshallah, it will happen.
17:26And people didn't really know him. So, I felt initially, they ended up bowling to where he
17:31wanted because he's got some strong zones. And once, you know, and he's very… Once as a batter,
17:35if you get going earlier on and before you look up, you're on 30, 40 yards, then your
17:39innings start to flow. And when I walked out, because we had those numbers in my mind, the
17:44scoreboard, target, who's bowled how many. So, I always kept telling him, listen, mate,
17:50he's bowled that many of us. He's bowled that many. Who's going to bowl at us in the end?
17:53Please make sure we stay here. All we were focusing on, run well and hit through the
17:58gaps and see where he takes us. And I thought he played a gem of an inning as well. And then
18:02the second ODI, I thought, I mean, Reggie Shikawa, he was short of runs, but he was never short of
18:08form because he was timing the ball really well. He was unlucky with his dismissals.
18:12And the way he came out and he said, Raj, we're going to, you know, we're going to be aggressive.
18:16We're going to run well. And we're going to do XYZ. And I said, sure. Initially, I said to him,
18:20mate, initially, when you came, just calm down. Let's see where we are after XYZ. And he said,
18:25yes, it's okay. But clearly, he didn't listen to me. So, which was a good thing.
18:29He came, he smashed. And before we know, he was flowing. He took all the pressure off me.
18:34And he ended up scoring the fastest hundred for Azimbawe. And then,
18:37boy, oh boy, it was a dream hundred. I tell you, you batted like a dream in his way.
18:41Well, there's no second thought about it. But I have always believed, you know, when a player
18:46is there to finish the game, it makes the team's confidence much higher. The dugout feels much
18:52easier. And in both the games, you stood there. So, well done, Sikandar, for this
18:56knocks. And in fact, you mentioned about, before that, that you won a series against Sri Lanka.
19:02I still want to hit that 3-2 series. That was also crucial, you know, after that,
19:07before that test match started. And you played that crucial knock of 27. Again, you were
19:12chasing 200-odd runs. But imagine, it was a turning track. Had you thrown your wicket away,
19:17probably, who knows what would have happened.
19:20Yeah. So, we had a great start, Aneesbhai. And I think, if I'm not mistaken, we were 100-0.
19:25And then, Aneesbhai, we lost one through spin. And then, two. Then three. Then four. Then five.
19:29And it was… I think, if I'm not mistaken, we needed 37. When Graham Creamer walked out,
19:36we needed 37. And there was a time when we needed 102 or 112 with nine wickets in hand. And now,
19:43we need 37 with three wickets in hand. And Akila was bowling well. Hasaranga was bowling well.
19:48And Malinga was starting to reverse now. So, Aneesbhai, to be honest with you, yes,
19:53my 100s are special. But I think that 27 knock is probably one of my better
19:57knocks that I've played under immense pressure in difficult conditions.
20:01Series on the line. Batting with tail-enders. So, yeah. That 27, even though it's not a lot,
20:08but it's one of the most satisfying 27 I've scored, to be honest.
20:12Fair point. And you also mentioned one very good point, that one man can win you a T20 game.
20:20But you need somebody at the other end to win an ODI game. And how true is that? Correct?
20:26You need somebody along with you to score that target of 300.
20:31So, Aneesbhai, I mean, you being the encyclopedia of cricket, and I guarantee you that how many
20:38teams have scored, how many times a team wanted to chase 300 plus, and a guy gets 100 and still
20:43end up losing the game. I mean, there are so many examples of that, Aneesbhai. So, I generally
20:48believe a T20, one guy can take a fiver and win you a game. One guy can score that 100 at the top
20:53or 80 or 35 or 40 balls at the bottom and can you win you a game. But even if one guy takes a fiver
20:59in an ODI or scores an 80 or 100 in an ODI, it doesn't guarantee that you'll win the game if
21:04your teammates hasn't really done their part of the job as well. And that is the beauty of ODI
21:08cricket. And that's why I love playing ODI cricket as well, that it's hardly a one man show. So,
21:15a lot of the players have to step up. So, you know, everybody's in the game until the very end.
21:19So, I remember Graham Creamer scoring, I think maybe 10 or 12 in that game and I scored 27.
21:24But I promise you, Aneesbhai, if you speak to Graham and myself, probably the best partnership
21:29we've had in a long time, because there were series on the line, there was history on the line,
21:34there were so many things on the line for us. You know, Zimbabwe doesn't win a lot. So,
21:38there was happiness that we could have brought to our nation. Best series win in 11 years. And,
21:45you know, there was so much of history that we were looking to achieve on that tour.
21:49And God forbid, if you get the opposition off for two or two and then get it up,
21:53rolled out for 198, you know, you missed out on a lot of things. So, Alhamdulillah,
21:58we managed to put our names down in the history books by winning that tour. And
22:01that is one of the most satisfying parts.
22:05Again, well said, Sikandar. Now, I cannot help but to ask you about what you did
22:13in the T20 against Bangladesh. But prior to that, you also were, you know,
22:19as I said, that whatever you're doing was coming out to be good for you and your team,
22:24where, you know, you could overcome that loss, which you could not make it to the World Cup
22:29for the 2019. And this time, you had it in the back of your mind, no, no, I have to get it,
22:34even though it's a T20 World Cup, I need to do that. Talk us through that qualifying rounds.
22:41So, Anis, it is true that back of my head, all these things were there. And yes, as senior guys,
22:47myself, Craig, Reggie, Chitara, we got together and we spoke about these things. We even went hard
22:52at one another. There's a lot of good things were said in the changing room and a lot of
22:56responsibilities were shared between us. But as an individual, Anis, I never forgot how I felt
23:03after failing to qualify the last World Cup, the promises that were made, the dreams that were
23:06shattered. So, for this time, I think all I was trying to do was to channel my emotions in the
23:13right way and not let my emotions get the best out of me in a negative way. So, Dave Houghton came in.
23:19I remember Dave Houghton came in and I was in Rajshahi playing a T20 tournament and I had a
23:23video chat with him and he told me about his plans and I was happy and I said, coach, this is what
23:28is happening. He said, don't worry, you can join us late for a couple of days. Joined the squad a couple
23:33of days late. Alhamdulillah, won in Rajshahi. And the way he treated everybody individually
23:41made a huge difference. And then when we got together as a team, there was no other thing in
23:46our head but to win for one another. And if you have to run through the side screen for our country,
23:53if you have to run through the wall to make sure we win it, we'll do it. And we collectively made
23:56that decision and Alhamdulillah, we ended up achieving a lot of good things on that T20 qualifiers.
24:02Well, a lot of people say that T20 Zimbabwe qualified beating the minnows. But mind you,
24:08in T20, anybody can beat the other team on their day. But you have to give credit to Zimbabwe,
24:14they came back strong and now they will get a chance to rub shoulders with the big guys in
24:20Australia. But having said that, you know, that 2019, I remember that World Cup which you couldn't
24:27make it. It was in your own country where you were playing the qualifiers. And it was probably UAE
24:32who spoiled the party? I think it was us more than the UAE. I thought the score was
24:43chaseable. I know the rain came and Duckwood-Lewis, we ended up losing 10 overs and they ended up only
24:48losing 7 or 10 runs or something like that. But it was still winnable. So, I was the last guy out.
24:54I remember we were on course to win that game and out of all people, who gets me out?
25:00One of my best friends gets me out. But what people don't understand is that we were happy for UAE.
25:08But believe me, UAE was sad for us as well. They said, guys, I think you guys definitely played one
25:13of the best cricket of this tournament and deserve to go. We are sad for you while we were happy for
25:20UAE that they ended up retaining their ODI status. So, there was a lot of love and respect was shared
25:24among the two countries. But yes, it hurted us a lot, Aneesbhai. And it took me quite a lot of time to come out of that loss.
25:35I remember your mother was there cheering you in the stands when you were playing that qualifying round.
25:42And there must be sadness in her as well as you guys all went through that. So near, yet so far.
25:50I remember a couple of matches, there was rain and things didn't go your way. That happens in cricket.
25:56When it doesn't go, it doesn't go your way.
25:58100 percent, Aneesbhai. You cannot fight conditions. You cannot fight with nature.
26:03And you cannot fight with things not in your control. So, as you said and I agree with Aneesbhai,
26:08if I look back fairly, I think there were a lot of things that went against us.
26:13Now looking back and thinking about it, yeah, I think it wasn't meant to be for us.
26:18Alright. Nonetheless, that's history now. You have now a golden opportunity. Before the World Cup,
26:24you have the big boys India coming with KL Rao leading the team. How excited about
26:28you playing them in your own country?
26:30Oh, 100 percent. Aneesbhai, you know, you always test yourself against the world's best.
26:35And I was telling somebody as well that Bangladesh is sitting number one or two
26:38in world league cricket points as well. So, they've been playing consistently good cricket.
26:42So, that's how you want to test yourself because you're playing.
26:44Afghanistan is number one and we all know what powerhouse Afghanistan is,
26:49especially when it comes to bowling.
26:50So, if you can measure yourself by doing well against these countries,
26:54you know that there's something you're doing right.
26:55And now the big boys India has come in as well and it will give me an extra motivation to try
27:02and prepare accordingly and do well so that I can always
27:06measure myself where I am compared to the world's best.
27:10I sincerely hope you have the same style of cricket what you've been playing against Bangladesh
27:17and you will continue the good work. And who knows, you might surprise India.
27:21I would not like to use the word surprise. You might beat India.
27:25That's the goal, Aneesbhai. Inshallah, you know, when you're representing your country,
27:29if the goal is not to beat the opposition regardless of what the opposition is,
27:32then I don't think you're doing justice to your country who's given you everything.
27:36So, the goal is to beat India.
27:38Inshallah, we're hoping for a very exciting and a good brand of cricket from Zimbabwe.
27:44Something the fans, something the people who are watching us on TV or live as well can enjoy
27:49and say that Zimbabwe is going in the right direction and they are ready to rub shoulders
27:53again with the big boys.
27:54So, yeah, I'm not a big guy on making comments on the results.
27:58But Inshallah, they'll be exciting. This will be an exciting series.
28:04Alright. Now, the T20 World Cup. Are you getting butterflies just two months away
28:10that you are going to play with the Aussies, the Indians, other teams?
28:14And you know, again, I think it's a pool of four teams in one group
28:18where two teams get into the knockout.
28:21So, Aneesbhai, we're going to play Ireland, Scotland, West Indies,
28:26which is a pre-qualifier to the main World Cup.
28:29And two of those teams will go through, Inshallah.
28:32Inshallah, we're hoping to go through.
28:33And then, I think it's two pools of six teams.
28:36And then, let's see where we end up.
28:37But regardless of where we end up, we're really not bothered
28:40because our focus is to play good cricket.
28:42And if we can play consistently good cricket, Aneesbhai, a lot of things can happen.
28:46And especially in T20, a lot of things can happen.
28:50And we're hoping to cause a few upsets as well.
28:54Why upsets?
28:54I would probably say, we would probably romp into the next round.
28:58I know, I don't want you to sound overconfident.
29:00But are you ready for the bouncy wickets of Australia?
29:04So, Aneesbhai, my coach said, all right, let's prepare for Australia, you know.
29:08Because we were given a couple of days off after Bangladesh.
29:10And my answer to him was, not now.
29:12I said, I like to live in the present.
29:15And one day at a time, I said, let's train and let's prepare for India before we get to Australia.
29:19When we get to Australia, we train there.
29:22We find out where the wickets are.
29:23We plan accordingly.
29:24And we take it from there.
29:25I'm not a guy who likes to look too far ahead and forget about where I am and what's coming in the near future.
29:30So, for me, I'm getting butterflies for India tour.
29:33I haven't thought about Australia yet.
29:35Because we have a bilateral series against Australia, which we depart on the 25th, play three ODIs, come back.
29:40And then go back to Australia for the World Cup.
29:42So, the three ODIs that we're going to play in Australia will give us a good idea of what needs to be done,
29:47what ways work there and what ways doesn't work there, how to prepare.
29:53So, right now, my butterflies in my stomach are for India.
29:56And that means I care.
29:57That means I'm nervous.
29:58I'm excited.
29:59So, all those emotions are there.
30:01So, hopefully, once I hit the net, start training, everything will calm down.
30:06So, boys and girls, this is naam to sunaunga Sikandar.
30:09I'm not talking about Mukkandar ka Sikandar.
30:11I'm talking about Zimbabwe ka Sikandar.
30:14Anyway, that's a bit filmy.
30:15We'll just quickly wrap up the show with a few fun questions for you, Sikandar.
30:23If not a cricketer, we all know that you wanted to be a pilot.
30:26But if not cricket, then what?
30:28Which sport do you like?
30:31If not cricket, I'll be a squash player.
30:34You will be a squash player.
30:35And your favorite squash player?
30:37It was Jan Shirkhan.
30:39Oh, yes.
30:40The legend, Jan Shirkhan.
30:42Do you watch Bollywood movies?
30:45I do watch Bollywood movies.
30:47Aneesbhai, who doesn't watch Bollywood movies?
30:49All right.
30:50So, let me know your favorite Bollywood actress.
30:54My favorite Bollywood actress is Ms. Juhi Chawla and Ms. Deepika Padukone.
31:01Oh, wow.
31:02You have Juhi Chawla and Deepika Padukone.
31:04Lovely.
31:05And if I have to ask you a Bollywood actor?
31:09It has to be the kind of Salman, Aamir and Shahrukh.
31:14If you had to pick one.
31:15If you had to pick one.
31:16Salman.
31:16Salman.
31:17Okay.
31:18Bhaiyon ka bhai, Salman Khan.
31:19Not bad.
31:21And you know, you have been playing franchise cricket around the world.
31:25I am sure you would like to play the big leagues also.
31:29But which is that franchise cricket where you enjoyed maximum?
31:34Which is one league where I enjoyed a lot?
31:38There was this…
31:38Do you respect all?
31:40No, no, no.
31:40Listen.
31:41Of course.
31:41Of course.
31:42So, because I haven't been to IPL and Big Bad.
31:44So, minus that, I thought…
31:46Okay.
31:46Because you have asked where I enjoyed the most.
31:48I am going to say it was Global T20 Canada.
31:50Oh, nice.
31:51Believe it or not.
31:52It was Global T20 Canada.
31:55You know what?
31:56Now, there are couple of leagues happening in South Africa as well as in UAE.
32:00And it has been owned by the IPL.
32:02They have definitely seen you, what you are doing.
32:04I wouldn't be surprised if you are picked in one of the teams.
32:09I can't answer that.
32:10But let's just say that, Aneesbhai.
32:11You will see me, inshallah, in one of those leagues.
32:13Fingers crossed.
32:14Fingers crossed.
32:14Fingers crossed.
32:15I am not going to ask you further about that.
32:17Yeah.
32:18Okay.
32:19You mentioned your favourite, or rather your best friend in the UAE cricket is Rohan Mustafa.
32:24Yeah.
32:24Does he sledge you?
32:26Oh, a lot.
32:27I actually think he sledges me more than he sledges any other opposite player.
32:31So, when me and him are going against one another, it's hard not to swing every ball and hit him for sixes when he is bowling specially.
32:41So, yeah.
32:41He sledges me a lot.
32:43And I think it's only because our bond is that strong.
32:47And nothing he would say would faze me.
32:48So, yeah.
32:49He sledges me a lot.
32:50You know, when I watch both of you cricketers, the best thing about both of you is that you guys can bat.
32:58You guys can bowl.
32:58You are gunfielders.
33:00So, nothing separates you all.
33:02It's just that, who has the best day on that particular day.
33:06Indeed.
33:07But I think I will give a little edge on Rohan.
33:10Because Rohan sledges better than I do.
33:12So, I think he's got a one-up on me.
33:13So, we bat, bowl, feel well.
33:15But he sledges better than me.
33:16I'll ensure that I send this clip of that video what you have said just now.
33:21Sure.
33:22You know what?
33:23Any time you felt that you wanted to play for Pakistan, being from Pakistan?
33:28Anisbhai, so another good question you asked.
33:29Anisbhai, I never played any cricket in Pakistan.
33:33So, there were a lot of tweets or reports or articles I read that PCB did injustice.
33:39PCB did nothing to me.
33:41I was never meant to be a cricketer.
33:43I was just a student.
33:44When I left Pakistan, I was still a student.
33:46I came here, student.
33:47Went to UK, student.
33:49So, I never dreamt about playing cricket anywhere, especially when I was in Pakistan.
33:53Like I said, it was destiny.
33:55I was in Zimbabwe and somebody saw me and gave me an opportunity.
33:58So, all that criticism or abuse or any negative remarks that PCB or Pakistan gets because
34:04of me is very unjust, is very unfair.
34:07I never played any cricket in Pakistan or even tried to play for Pakistan.
34:12Well, Sikandar is a song of Rajesh Khanna.
34:15Kuch toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kahna.
34:18Chhodo bekaar ki baatein, beet mein jaye rehna.
34:21Indeed.
34:22I think that's it.
34:22That's the way to look at it.
34:23Indeed, Anisbhai.
34:24Let me put you in a spot.
34:26Baba Razam or Virat Kohli, your favorite cricketer?
34:28Virat Kohli.
34:31Who has to be your favorite captain in the world?
34:34Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni.
34:36There are many.
34:36You can name anybody whom you feel is your captain.
34:41So, for me, it will be between MS and Kane Williams.
34:47You had to pick one.
34:49I would go with MS.
34:51You would go with MS and you said Virat Kohli.
34:55Yeah.
34:56One piece of advice.
34:59I feel like Virat Bhai is an ultimate all-formats player.
35:03If that makes sense to people.
35:08I think the reason Tiger Woods is so up there.
35:10The reason Muhammad Ali became who he was.
35:14Because these people kind of revolutionized the sport.
35:17They thought outside the box.
35:20And they were the first one to try something new.
35:22And then everybody followed.
35:24And that's why I would like to put in Virat Bhai in the same bracket that
35:28as much as cricket was always about fitness and XYZ.
35:31But the way he took that part of the game forward for the younger generation to follow.
35:37I think that that is commendable.
35:38And people should give him enough credit for that.
35:41And for being one of those 36 years old where a lot of the times people would have retired
35:46and I'm touching my peak is because of my physical and mental fitness.
35:50And if you look after the two and work on your skill, then
35:54Alhamdulillah, you can always add a couple more years to your career.
35:57And I'm very grateful for that.
36:00But for me, the reason I picked Virat Bhai is because I feel like he's the ultimate all-formats player.
36:06And that's got nothing to do with stats or what he's achieved or what he's going through
36:10or what he's done or what he's going to do.
36:12I'm just talking in general.
36:14If you had to give one piece of advice to the king who's going through flight form problem?
36:21I don't think so.
36:23I don't think so.
36:24I don't think so.
36:27I'm knowledgeable enough or experienced enough.
36:30Or I am there to give a guy advice who's got close to 16 to 20,000 career runs.
36:37What do I tell him?
36:39I can't tell him anything.
36:40What is there I can tell him nothing.
36:42So if anything, I'll stay silent.
36:44I reckon if people can stay silent and let the man have some peace,
36:47whether it's encouraging or abusive or negative or positive, just let the man be in peace.
36:53Leave him alone and inshallah, he'll find his feet.
36:56Okay, who will win the T20 World Cup this year?
36:59So I was asked this question, where would I see Pakistan?
37:04So I said, I'll be very surprised if Pakistan doesn't play the semi-final.
37:07So I think my three teams will be Australia, Pakistan and India to play.
37:14These three will be the last three teams still left in the tournament, I believe.
37:19All right, we'll see what happens then.
37:21But trust me, Sikandar, I had a lovely time talking to you.
37:25I thought this is going to be a 20-minute show.
37:27But when you talk to a person like you who's a friend, a younger brother,
37:33and I probably, I just, I want to go on and go on.
37:36But we'll probably have Sikandar once again for the Asia Cup,
37:40which is going to start in UAE in two weeks' time.
37:43So guys, hold your breath for now.
37:45Till then, we have to say, well done, Sikandar.
37:48Keep up the good work and the world is watching you.
37:51Thank you very much, Nisbet.
37:52And before I go, I would like to let everybody know as well that
37:56when I was a nobody, Nisbet, and I'll always be grateful for those people
38:00who looked after me, gave me opportunities when I was a nobody.
38:03And the reason, one of the reasons why I hold you so high in my regard
38:07because when I was a nobody, you gave me an opportunity.
38:09You called me to Dubai.
38:11You gave me an opportunity in the new blinds to get better as a human and as a cricketer.
38:16And you loved me as one of your own family members, looked after me really well.
38:20Nisbet, I'll always be grateful for that.
38:23I always will be grateful.
38:24I appreciate these kind words.
38:26But as you say, it's all Allah who plans all this.
38:29And it's all destiny.
38:30So wish you all the best for the India series.
38:32Go well.
38:33Go hard.
38:34Okay?
38:34Inshallah.
38:35Inshallah, Nisbet.
38:35Mind you, I'll be supporting Team India.
38:38No problem, Nisbet.
38:38No problem.
38:39But I know you'll be rooting for me as well.
38:41I know that.
38:42You can't...
38:42Sure, sure.
38:43You take care, bro.