Zimbabwe legend Sikandar Raza suffers personal catastrophe as young brother dies at 13

Zimbabwe's T20I captain Sikandar Raza has suffered a personal tragedy as his younger brother Muhammad Mahdi breathed his last on Monday, December 29. The latter was only 13 years old at the time of his demise.

Mahdi was laid to rest on Tuesday at the Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare. He was born with haemophilia, a rare genetic bleeding disorder where the blood doesn't clot properly. Zimbabwe cricket (ZC), in their statement, said that Mahdi lost his life due to recent health complications.

The cricket board extended their heartfelt condolences to Raza and his family for the untimely passing of Mahdi.

"Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) extends its heartfelt condolences to Zimbabwe T20I Captain Sikandar Raza and his family following the untimely passing of his beloved younger brother, Muhammad Mahdi, who died on 29 December 2025 in Harare at the age of 13. Muhammad Mahdi was born with haemophilia and sadly lost his life due to recent health complications. He was laid to rest on 30 December 2025 at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare. The ZC Board, Management, Players and Staff stand united in solidarity with Sikandar Raza and his family during this profoundly difficult time. May Allah grant them comfort and strength and may Muhammad Mahdi’s soul rest in eternal peace," read the statement from Zimbabwe cricket.

The legendary Raza responded to the message from Zimbabwe cricket with a broken heart emoji via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Raza, 39, is one of the finest players to have represented the Chevrons. He has played 22 Tests, 153 ODIs, and 127 T20Is. The star all-rounder has amassed 8,793 runs and taken 236 wickets across the three formats. He will be leading Zimbabwe at the upcoming T20 World Cup in February-March.