Ramiz Raja
'Ramiz Hasan Raja is a Pakistani cricket sports commentator, former cricketer and former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
He played international cricket for the Pakistan national [cricket team] from 1984 to 1997, appearing in 57 Test matches and 198 One Day Internationals, and was part of the team that won the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Raja was occasionally appointed captain and scored over 8,000 runs across formats during his international career.
After retiring from professional cricket, he transitioned into commentary and analysis, becoming one of the most recognized voices in the cricketing world. He also hosts a popular YouTube channel, Ramiz Speaks, where he discusses cricket-related topics.
Early and personal life
Family background
Raja was born on 14 August 1962 in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan into a Rajput family.His family roots lie in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
His father Saleem Akhtar was a cricketer during the British colonial era who played first-class cricket 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.Marriage
Raja is married two times. The parents of one of his wives had roots in British India; his mother-in-law hailed from Delhi and his father-in-law from Karnal, Haryana.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.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.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.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. 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 1992 [Cricket World Cup Final|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.