Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja رميز راجہ
Raja in 2022
35th Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board
In office 13 September 2021 – 21 December 2022
Appointed by	Imran Khan Shehbaz Sharif
President	Arif Alvi
Prime Minister	Imran Khan Shehbaz Sharif
Preceded by	Ehsan Mani
Succeeded by	Najam Sethi
Personal details
Born	Ramiz Hasan Raja (1962-08-14) 14 August 1962 (age 62) Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Education	St. Anthony High School, Lahore Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur Aitchison College, Lahore
Alma mater	Government College, Lahore
Occupation	Former Pakistani cricketer
Personal information
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Legbreak
Role	Batter
Relations	Saleem Akhtar (father) Wasim Raja (brother) Zaeem Raja (brother) Atif Rauf (cousin)[2]
International information
National side	Pakistan (1984–1997)
Test debut (cap 99)	2 March 1984 v England
Last Test	26 April 1997 v Sri Lanka
ODI debut (cap 56)	6 February 1985 v New Zealand
Last ODI	21 September 1997 v India
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI Matches 57 198 Runs scored 2,833 5,841 Batting average 31.83 32.09 100s/50s 2/22 9/31 Top score 122 119* Balls bowled – 6 Wickets – 0 Bowling average – – 5 wickets in innings – – 10 wickets in match – – Best bowling – – Catches/stumpings 34/0 33/0
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup Winner 1992 Australia and New Zealand
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 31 January 2006

Ramiz Hasan Raja (Urdu: رمیز حسن راجہ; born 14 August 1962) is a Pakistani cricket commentator and former cricketer who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2021-2022.^[3] He was a part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

As a player, Raja represented Pakistan (sporadically as a captain) during the 1980s and the 1990s.

He also talks about cricket on his YouTube channel Ramiz Speaks.^[4][5]

Early and personal life

Family background

Raja was born on 14 August 1962 in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

His family roots lie in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.^[6]

His father Saleem Akhtar was a cricketer during the British colonial era who played for Multan and Sargodha after the partition, while his brother Wasim Raja and cousin Atif Rauf played for the Pakistan national cricket team, with another brother Zaeem Raja having played first-class cricket as well.

Education

Raja is an alumnus of Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur, Aitchison College, Lahore and Government College University, Lahore.^[7][8][9]

Marriage

Raja is married two times. His wife's parents had roots in British India; his mother-in-law hailed from Delhi and his father-in-law from Karnal, Haryana.^[6]

Rajasthani architecture

An admirer of Rajasthani architecture, he asked Pakistani architect Nayyar Ali Dada to design his Lahore house on the pattern of Jaipur's Rambagh Palace.^[10]

Domestic career

Raja made his first-class cricket debut in 1978, scoring over 9,000 runs in List A and 10,000 runs in first class matches. He made his Test debut against England in 1984 and ODI debut against New Zealand in 1985. Raja was regarded as one of the prominent batters playing in Pakistan's domestic cricket.^[11]

International career

Golden years

When he got his first opportunity to play in a Test match, against England, Raja's performance was unimpressive, as he was dismissed for 1 run in each innings. However, with the retirement of several players in the Pakistan squad and with the help of his years of experience in first-class cricket, Raja was able to secure a spot in the national side.^[12]

He played international cricket for 13 years, appearing in 57 Test matches, with a career average of 31.83 and scoring two centuries. In the One Day International arena, he played 198 matches and scored 9 centuries.^[13] He was a member of the national side that reached the semi-finals of the 1987 World Cup. He scored 2 centuries in the 1992 World Cup, which was held in Australia, including a century against New Zealand, who had been undefeated during that period. He was awarded the man of the match for his match winning performance which earned Pakistan a place in the semi-finals of the tournament. In the final against England, Raja had the honour of taking the final catch which won the World Cup for Pakistan. This became the pinnacle of his cricketing career, as within a year of this triumph, he had lost form and was dropped from the national side.^[11][14]

Obstructing the field

Raja became the first player in One Day International history to be given out "obstructing the field" against England, in a match at Karachi in 1987. England had scored 263 runs for 6 wickets during their 44 over innings.^[15] For Pakistan, Raja opened the batting and had reached 98 runs when the last ball of the match was bowled, with Pakistan needing 25 runs to win in the last over. During this last over, he hit the ball and sprinted for two runs that would have given him his century, but was well short of the crease when the fielder's return came towards him and Raja knocked the ball away with his bat and was given out for "obstructing the field".^[16]

Late career

He was recalled to the Pakistan squad and played in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. During the 1995–1996 season, he was removed from the captaincy, after Pakistan lost their first home series to Sri Lanka. His final game in a Test match for Pakistan was as captain in the 1996–1997 tour of Sri Lanka, however the team failed to win a match during the series. He retired from all forms of cricket in 1997 and since then he has been active as a television commentator and analyst as an administrator for both Pakistan and international cricket.^[17][14]

Post-retirement

Commentary career

Raja in 2015

Raja has worked as a commentator on Test Match Special and Sky Sports, during the 2006 England Test series against Pakistan. He has also worked as the chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, but resigned from his job in August 2004, citing increasing media commitments. He continues to provide commentary on Pakistan cricket team's tours as well as in many domestic tournaments and international ICC tournaments.^[18][19]

Cricket administration

Raja served as the 35th Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board between September 2021 and December 2022.^[3]

Hosting

In 2024, Raja launched Showtime With Ramiz Raja on Suno News, a late-night entertainment show where he interviews celebrities.

See also

• List of cricket commentators

References

1. Rameez Raja's profile on Sportskeeda
2. "Cricketing dynasties of 2 families".
3. "Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja sacked, Najam Sethi to take over PCB top job".
4. "Ramiz Raja formally elected as PCBchairman". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
5. Dawn.com (13 September 2021). "Ramiz Raja elected new PCB chairman 'unanimously and unopposed'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
6. Inzamam-ul-Haq, 28 May 1997, Outlook India. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. "His captain Rameez Raja, too, wanted to visit his inlaws' relatives in Kamal, his own folks in Jaipur. "I'm from Lahore. My mother-in-law is from Delhi, my father-in-law from Karnal. Don't know about the wife. I've hopefully picked up some of Delhi's famous tehzeeb (courtesy) from her," he says, smiling shyly."
7. "GC University Lahore produces five prime ministers of country: grand celebration to mark 148th birthday – Business Recorder". Retrieved 16 January 2022.
8. "Happy Birthday GCU". The Nation. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
9. "Board Of Governors | Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Official Website". www.pcb.com.pk. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
10. "Rameez builds his own Rajasthani palace". Hindustan Times. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
11. "Pakistan lauds 'King of Entertainment' Sehwag". The Hindu. PTI. 9 December 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
12. "Rameez Raja launches attack on Mohsin Khan". The Hindu. PTI. 28 June 2012. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
13. "Ramiz Raja batting bowling stats, averages and cricket statistics, 2022". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
14. "Rameez Raja Profile - Cricket Player,Pakistan|Rameez Raja Stats, Ranking, Records inCricket -NDTV Sports". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
15. "Full Scorecard of England vs Pakistan 2nd ODI 1987/88 - Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
16. "Pakistan v England 1987-88: Second One-day International". Wisden 1989. ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
17. "11 things you need to know about Rameez Raja". Cricket Country. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
18. Editorial (1 May 2015). "Rameez Raja's nine hilarious commentary moments". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
19. Mustafi, Suvajit (30 April 2015). "Rameez Raja's nine hilarious commentary moments". DNA India. Retrieved 23 September 2020.

External links

• Ramiz Raja at ESPNcricinfo
• Ramiz Raja on Twitter

Preceded by Ehsan Mani

Chairperson of Pakistan Cricket Board 2021

Succeeded by Incumbent

Preceded by Saleem Malik

Pakistan Cricket Captain 1993–1997

Succeeded by Aamer Sohail