Sikandar Raza has been added to the Zimbabwe squads travelling to Bangladesh next month for three ODIs and two Tests.
Raza lost his central contract last month, amid a dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), who claimed that the allrounder had breached the conditions of his previous agreement with the board, and had seemingly missed out on selection for Zimbabwe’s two upcoming tours when the squads were named two weeks ago.
But the contractual issues have since been resolved, following a meeting between Raza and ZC’s contracts committee on Monday, and he should sign a new contract this week. “I am extremely delighted with the news, and thanks to ZC, who quickly sorted out my issues,” Raza said. “I just want to put this behind me and concentrate on and enjoy my cricket.”
While he will now make the trip to Bangladesh, Raza will play no part in the preceding limited-overs tour of South Africa starting this Sunday. A statement from ZC suggested that as Zimbabwe depart for South Africa on Wednesday, the timing of the resolution did not allow for Raza’s inclusion by the selectors.
“We are pleased to have found common ground with Sikandar, who is is one of our best players,” said ZC acting managing director Givemore Makoni. “We welcome him back to the national team set-up, and we hope he will contribute immensely in Bangladesh and in future tours.”
Raza last played cricket for Zimbabwe at the World Cup Qualifiers in March, when he was named Player of the Tournament for his all-round contributions. He was one of five major players who did not participate in the T20 triangular series involving Australia and Pakistan in July, and the ODIs against Pakistan that followed. The other four – Brendan Taylor, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams – made themselves unavailable to play for Zimbabwe because of non-payment of salaries, but have since returned, after ZC was placed on a financial plan provided by the ICC, though Cremer is out of action until he recovers from knee surgery.
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