Zimbabwe’s ODI and T20I captain Sikandar Raza has made it clear that his country’s possible entry into the World Test Championship (WTC) for the 2027-30 cycle will not change his plan to retire after next year’s 50-over World Cup in Africa.Zimbabwe will co-host the 2027 ODI World Cup with South Africa and Namibia. For the 40-year-old all-rounder, the tournament will offer an opportunity to play a World Cup on home soil towards the end of his career.“The fact that I am coming to the end of my career as well, and to have an opportunity to play a home World Cup is certainly a blessing for me from a personal point of view,” Raza said, as quoted by news agency PTI.“Every cricketer dreams of having retired or to retire after playing a cricketing World Cup,” he added.When asked whether Zimbabwe’s potential entry into the WTC during the 2027-30 cycle could make him reconsider his retirement, Raza ruled out the possibility.“Would I be tempted? No, I will not be tempted. I have come to peace with the decisions that I am making in life.“I’ll not be a guy who will, when the time comes, call it off and then say, ‘I’m taking my retirement back.’ It will not happen. That’s not me,” he said.While Raza does not intend to extend his career, he believes playing in the WTC would help Zimbabwe improve as a cricketing nation. He said the team might take time to perform well in the competition initially, but the experience would help improve its results across formats.“If that happens, I will be the first guy who will be in support of that. If Zimbabwe is part of WTC, we might not be able to do well at the start, but one thing I do know…our cricketing growth eventually — not eventually, quickly — will go up. Our performances will get better, and not just in Test cricket,” he said.No home advantageRaza acknowledged that Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia could find it difficult to gain a home advantage at the 2027 World Cup, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) oversees the tournament’s arrangements.“We’ll try our best to gain some home advantage, but for ICC events, it’s very difficult because the ICC is in control of everything.“But yeah, we will try and take some advantage where we can. Fair advantage, that is,” he said.Zimbabwe’s match against India on October 24, 2027, will also be the first World Cup fixture at the newly built Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls.
