Sikandar Raza picks his top five all-rounders of all-time, includes one Indian [Exclusive]

Zimbabwe’s star skipper Sikandar Raza recently shared his top five all-rounders and moments from his own illustrious career. In an exclusive chat with CricTracker, the 39-year-old revealed his list, which includes one Indian. He also shared his admiration for certain finishers and his IPL aspirations. 

Raza, who has been a main player of the Zimbabwean cricket team for nearly a decade, has played a huge part in placing the country's name on the world map. Notably, under his leadership, Zimbabwe recently

qualified for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after defeating Kenya in the semifinals.

He also addressed whether he’d like to play in the Indian Premier League again, having featured for Punjab Kings in the 2023 edition. The veteran shared that representing an IPL franchise not only boosts a player’s confidence but also provides a platform to test one’s skills against the very best.  

---

Excerpts

You’ve played in many leagues (domestic, international), which different conditions has challenged you the most?

So the most challenging condition I found myself in, or that I think is Dhaka. BPL in Dhaka or international tour, international games that I played in Dhaka, certainly have got that challenge, a different challenge.

Is there a moment you’ll always be proud of from your international career (a match, a knock, a bowling spell)?

I think on a personal level, I think being number one in the world in ODI cricket, being the first Zimbabwean in white ball cricket to get there, is suddenly up there because it puts Zimbabwe on the map. It brings more respect to Zimbabwe. So certainly that's one of the things I'm very proud of.

Who do you think is underrated in world cricket right now (batting or bowling) — someone people should watch out for?

I think people watch a lot of Test Nations, but I'm a big advocate for the non-Test Nations. One guy in the recent past that I think is very underrated is George Munsey from Scotland.

If you had to pick one Indian finisher for Zimbabwe, would it be MS Dhoni or Hardik Pandya?

So that depends. Is Zimbabwe looking for a wicket-keeper, batsman, or all-rounder? Because they're both good options. I'll pick MS. MS Dhoni.

Which young Indian batter excites you the most right now?

Abhishek Sharma

Would you like to play in the IPL again? If yes, which team would you ideally want to represent?

Everybody wants to be part of IPL. Alhamdulillah, I managed to be part of the IPL. Everybody wants to win games at IPL. So if I'm not part of IPL in the future, I'm at absolute peace with that. And if I am, then it's Alhamdulillah.It's such a big tournament. It's such a prestigious tournament that any team, because you're going to end up playing against… It's basically best against the best. So you're going to end up playing against the best to test yourself where you're at in world cricket anyway. So it doesn't really matter which team, if I get picked.

Your top five all-rounders of all time?

Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ben Stokes