“It looks like he’s 26 again, leading from the front”: How Ricky Ponting motivated Sikandar Raza to deliver a Man of the Match performance against Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup 2022

Ricky Ponting inspired Zimbabwe’s all-rounder Sikandar Raza to deliver a match-winning performance against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.

The year 2022 has been absolutely amazing for the Zimbabwe Cricket Team. Zimbabwe could not play in the T20 World Cup last year, but they qualified for the mega event in Australia this time around. The T20 World Cup 2022 became a success for them when they forged their way into the Super-12 stage of the tournament.

Zimbabwe already exceeded their expectations from them, but they were not in the mood to rest. On 27 October, 2022, Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan by one run to secure one of their best wins in the history of the T20 World Cup. This defeat can dent the hopes of Pakistan in the tournament.

ALSO READ: Is Pakistan out of T20 World Cup 2022?

Sikandar Raza has been Zimbabwe’s ace performer, he could not bat well against Pakistan, but he bowled a match-winning spell with the ball (4-0-25-3). He even was involved in the run-out on the last ball of the match, and that’s why he won the Man of the Match trophy.

Ricky Ponting motivated Sikandar Raza to deliver a Man of the Match performance

Ahead of the match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan, ICC released a video where Ricky Ponting was talking about Sikandar Raza’s influence in Zimbabwe’s incredible journey to the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Ponting said that even though Raza is 36 years of age, he is playing like a 26-year-old.

Ponting insists that Raza single-handedly allowed Zimbabwe to play in the World Cup, and he played a massive role in Zimbabwe’s qualification in the Super-12 stage of the tournament. He mentioned Zimbabwe won two matches in the qualifier, and Raza won the Man of the Match on both occasions.

“He’s 36 years of age, but he’s playing with more youthful exuberance than that,” Ponting said in the ICC video.

“It looks like he’s 26 again, running around the pitch enjoying himself and leading from the front. He’s standing up in pressure moments, which you need to do. When you start talking about World Cups, players’ names and reputations are forged on how you perform in big games.”

Sikandar Raza thanks Ricky Ponting for inspiring words

After winning the Man of the Match award against Pakistan, Raza said that he was motivated a lot by Ricky Ponting’s words, and it brought a tear to his family’s and friends’ eyes. He insists that it is a huge occasion for him as one of the greats is talking about his contribution to Zimbabwe’s cricket.

“Some of my friends and family members messaged and they said they had a kind of tear in the eye,” Raza said.

“For me, I had goosebumps – one of the greats of the game talking about Zimbabwe and in particular me.”