Sikandar Raza in running for ICC awards

Zim Now Writer

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza has raised the country’s flag higher after triple nomination for the International Cricket Council (ICC) annual awards in acknowledgement of his achievements in 2022.

Nominations Raza is running for are the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year accolades and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.

Raza has made history by becoming the first Zimbabwean cricketer to be nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.

The ICC revealed the full list of shortlisted players for the ICC Awards 2022 this Friday, highlighting the star performers from across the men’s and women’s game during a blockbuster year of cricket.

For the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Zimbabwe’s all-rounder was nominated alongside Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, New Zealand paceman Tim Southee and England’s Ben Stokes, who is seeking to claim the prize for the second time after his maiden win in 2019.

In the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year category, the Zimbabwe star is pitted against Azam, Shai Hope (West Indies) and Adam Zampa (Australia).

Other nominees for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year accolade are Sam Curran (England), Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) and Suryakumar Yadav (India).

Shortlists for the ICC Awards 2022 categories were determined by a specialist panel of cricket writers and broadcasters, identifying the nominees based on statistics and overall achievements in international cricket through the calendar year.

Raza has been enjoying a terrific run of form this year.

In August 2022, Raza was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month, making him the first Zimbabwean to win the prestigious award.

The talented all-rounder clinched the award after he scored three centuries against Bangladesh and India.