Raja Creates History, Surpasses Kohli, Rohit

Zimbabwe’s cricket has a new hero: all-rounder Sikandar Raza, known for achieving big milestones despite coming from a smaller cricketing nation. Day by day, he continues to set new records. On 6 September, Raza was named Player of the Match against Sri Lanka, surpassing legendary Virat Kohli in the process and taking his place at the top.

Raza now holds the record for the most Player of the Match awards in T20 internationals. His recognition against Sri Lanka marked his 18th Player of the Match award in T20Is, surpassing prominent players like Virat Kohli, Mohammad Nabi, and Rohit Sharma.

Among full-member Test-playing nations, Raza is currently the cricketer with the most Player of the Match awards in T20Is. Overall, Malaysia’s Birandeep Singh still holds the top spot with 22 awards in 102 matches, though Malaysia is not a Test-playing nation.

In the second T20 against Sri Lanka, Raza delivered a brilliant performance with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 11 runs in 4 overs, restricting Sri Lanka to only 80 runs. Zimbabwe then chased down the target comfortably to seal the victory, with Raza leading the way.

Top 5 Players of the Match Awards among Full ICC Members:

1. Sikandar Raza – 18 awards

2. Virat Kohli – 16 awards

3. Suryakumar Yadav – 16 awards

4. Mohammad Nabi – 14 awards

5. Rohit Sharma – 14 awards