New Delhi: Veteran Zimbabwe cricketer Sikandar Raza came forward against a local coach in Zimbabwe, filing a complaint with the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association (HMCA), accusing him of racial abuse during a Vigne Cup game on June 1. Blessing Mafuwa, the man under scanner, wasn’t named by Raza in his complaint, but HMCA did when they responded by suspending the coach on Monday.
Raza was representing Old Hararians against Rainbow Cricket Club at the Old Hararians Sports Club when the alleged incident occurred. According to an ESPNcricinfo report, which claims to have seen the complaint that Raza has filed, the 39-year-old alleged that Mafuwa hurled derogatory comments towards him when he was walking off the field.
ESPNcricinfo had raised a query on the matter, and HMCA chairperson Tafadzwa Madoro responded, saying, “We received a report of racial abuse that our T20 captain (Raza) suffered last week. We are in the process of investigating. Blessing Mafuwa will attend a hearing this coming Tuesday. He will answer charges from the report. In the interim, he is suspended from all activities in the HMCA.”
“We don’t take racism allegations lightly. We don’t condone any racial abuse in HMCA. We will want to investigate this as quickly as possible,” Madoro added.
What Sikandar Raza said?
On Sunday, Raza spoke to ESPNcricinfo, saying that he expects “a full investigation” of the incident. “If found guilty, an example should be made out of him so that stuff like this never happens again to this and future generations,” said Raza. In the match, Raza hit 78 off 56 deliveries as his club piled 402/9 in 50 overs. In reply, Rainbow managed 225/8 in 39 overs, losing the game by 142 runs via the DLS method.
Very recently, Raza won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 title with Lahore Qalandars, hitting the winning runs in a thrilling final in Lahore. This marked Raza’s second T20 league trophy in 2025 after the International League T20 (ILT20).
Sikandar Raza allegedly faced racial abuse from a local coach in Zimbabwe and made a complaint against him after which the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association (HMCA) suspended the coach as they investigate the case further. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
