BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZIMBABWE national cricket team all-rounder Sikandar Raza will represent the Amsterdam Knights in the inaugural Euro T20 Slam after being signed up during the players’ draft for the inaugural season of the lucrative tournament held at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday.
Raza, whose international future with Zimbabwe is in doubt after the country’s suspension from international cricket by the International Cricket Council on Thursday, was the only local player to find any takers during the players’ draft.
The inaugural T20 tournament, which will feature six teams from Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland, kicks off on August 30 with action starting in Amsterdam, moving to Edinburgh before reaching a climax in Malahide on September 19.
Several prominent names in international cricket, including England’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan England captain Eoin Morgan, were drafted into the six teams taking part in the tournament.
Other marquee players scheduled to participate in the tournament include world number one T20 batsman Babar Azam of Pakistan, Australian Dan Christian and star Pakistan fast bowler Mohammed Amir.
Top-rated players, such as Morgan, will earn 71 000 euros for the three-week tournament, with overseas players such as Raza expected to also earn themselves a fortune for their efforts.
While his international career is now in jeopardy due to the current state of affairs in local cricket, Raza’s stock continues to rise on the world stage, particularly in the T-20 format where he has become a household name in various leagues.
