Rameez Raja
 | ||||
| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |||
| Bowling style | Right-handed legbreak | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Tests | ODIs | ||
| 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: Cricinfo, 31 January 2006 | ||||
Rameez Hasan Raja (born 14 August 1962 in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), Pakistan) is a former Pakistani cricketer who is now a commentator and has become the voice of Pakistan cricket. He studied at the noted Pakistani institutions, Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur and Aitchison College, Lahore, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
Rameez was a right-handed opening batsman, and is a former captain of the Pakistani team.
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[edit] Early career
Raja made his first class debut in 1978, at a time when Pakistan has a secure opening pair in the great Majid Khan and Sadiq Muhammad, and for many years there was little question of him making the national side, at a time his brother Wasim Raja was a regular in the side. When his chance came, it would be in a match against England, when Pakistan were fielding a depleted side. His performance was unimpressive, he was dismissed for 1 in both innings. However by that time with the retirement of several players and with many years experience in first class cricket, Raja was able to make a place in the team, although his role in the test side was always suspect. Nevertheless he would be one of a generation of players who would see Pakistan cricket rise to its greatest heights.
[edit] Test Player
Rameez Raja was always a doubt in the test side, though the lack of quality openers available to the side at the time meant that he was usually in the starting eleven and almost always in the squad. He was a member of the Pakistan side which drew the test siries against the West Indies, in what were considered some of the best tests of all time. In 13 years of international cricket he would make only 57 appearance in tests and score only 2 centuries at the disappointing average of 31.83 and his place in the side would eventually be lost forever as better players such as Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail came through.
[edit] One Day Internationals
It was in the shorter form of the game that Raja would achieve his greatest success, and unlike the test team here he would be a regular and earnt nearly 200 caps. His attacking style was suited to this form and he scored 9 ODI centuries, at one time a Pakistan record. He was a member of the side that reached the semi finals of the 1987 World Cup. He would score two centuries, including one in a must win game against New Zealand, who has been unbeaten uptil then, a man of the match winning performance which would earn Pakistan a place in the semi-finals. In the final itself, Rameez would have the honour of taking the catch which would win the world cup; the image of him successfully taking the catch to dismiss the last England batsman has become one of the most famous in the history of Pakistan Cricket. Yet this would be the pinnacle of his career, within a year of this triumph he would be dropped from the side.
[edit] End of Career
Although he would make sporadic appearance until the 1997 season, including most notably as officiating captain when Pakistan removed Salim Malik after the match fixing scandle, as well as another appearance in a World Cup (the 1996 edition), he was never a regular after 1993.
[edit] After Cricket
He has been active as a commentator and an administrator since his retirement
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