RAMEEZ RAJA (PAKISTAN)

Introduction:

Rameez Hasan Raja (born 14 August 1962) is a Pakistani former cricketer,  who represented Pakistan ''sometimes as captain'' during 1980s and 1990s. Since retiring from cricket, Rameez opening batsman Raja arrived on the scene the next Majid khan. His basic game was built on solid, understated elegance. Some of the leg side play was outstanding and the flick to square leg soon became a 

signature stroke. he has become a commentator on indian television. Why he didn't score more runs in Tests remains a mystery, though his imprtance to pakistan's strong ODI sides of the 80 and early 90 cannot be underestimated. In the World Cups of 1987 and 1992 he was a key figure and as well as taking the catch that won it for pakistan if 1992, he scored two hundreds through the tournament. His integrity and seniority helped in captaining pakistan late in his career, but the qualities became of greater use after he retired. First, as a bright, dynamic chief executive of the pakistanboard he was instrumental in bringing about a prosperous period in the early 2000, including negotiating the countries together through cricket. But by then he had also become an articulate voice of pakistan the world over as a television commentator. 

Personal Life:

Ramiz was born to a Punjabi family in Faisalabad, Pakistan and studied at Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur and Aitchison College, Lahore. His brother, Wasim Raja, also played Test cricket for Pakistan and another brother, Zaeem Raja, played First class cricket in Pakistan. He completed his masters degree at Jehlum, Pakistan.

Career:

Rameez Raja made his first class cricket debut in 1978. He received his opportunity to play in a Test match against England. His 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. Raja 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 200 matches and scored 9 centuries. 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. Raja 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. However, he was recalled back 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 as an administrator for both Pakistan and international cricket.

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.

Captaincy:

He was involved in another controversy when he captained Pakistan to their first Test home series loss against Sri Lanka in September 1995. Before being brought in as captain for the series, he had often opened the batting innings with both Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar at different matches, but without success. As a captain, he did not open the innings in any of the three Test matches and opted to bat at number three, his preferred position. He was sacked as captain after Pakistan lost the series and was replaced by Wasim Akram. He got a second chance at captaincy when, immediately in the next season in 1996-1997, he led the Pakistan team for the second time in two Test matches against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, but failed to achieved a win. This was his final appearance in a Test match for Pakistan.

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