Pakistani Cricket Player: Rameez Raja

Rameez Raja Biography

source(google.com.pk)
For the current Karachi cricketer, see Rameez Raja (born 1987).
Rameez Raja
رميزراجہ Personal information
Full name     Rameez Hasan Raja
Born     14 August 1962 (age 51)
Faisalbad, Punjab, Pakistan
Batting style     Right hand bat
Bowling style     Legbreak
Role     Batsman
Relations     Wasim Raja (brother)
Career statistics
Competition     Test     ODI
Matches     57     198
Runs scored     2833     5841
Batting average     31.83     32.09
100s/50s     2/22     9/31
Top score     122     119*
Balls bowled     –     1
Wickets     –     0
Bowling average     –     –
5 wickets in innings     –     –
10 wickets in match     –     n/a
Best bowling     –     0/10
Catches/stumpings     34/0     33/0
Source: ESPN Cricinfo, 31 January 2006

Rameez Hasan Raja (Urdu: رميزراجہ‎; born 14 August 1962) is a former Pakistani right handed batsman in cricket, who represented the Pakistan cricket team during the 1980s and 1990s. He also been captain of the national team. Since retiring from professional cricket, he has become a sports and television commentator.
Contents

    1 Personal life and education
    2 Career
        2.1 1987–1988: Given out for obstructing the field
        2.2 1995–1996: Captain of Pakistan Cricket team
        2.3 2003–2004: Pakistan Cricket Board
    3 Centuries of Rameez Raja
        3.1 One Day International centuries
    4 See also
    5 References
    6 External links

Personal life and education
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Raja was born in faisalabad in Pakistan and studied at Saint Anthony's High School Lahore and Aitchison College, Lahore and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. 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 Oxford University.
Career

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 un defeated 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.
1987–1988: Given out for obstructing the field

Raja became the first player in One Day International history to be given out by "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. 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 "obstructing the field".
1995–1996: Captain of Pakistan Cricket team

Almost a decade later, 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 match, but without success. As a captain, he did not open the innings in any of the three Test match 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 match against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, but failed to achieved a win. This was his final appearance in a Test match for Pakistan.