To all the cricket fans, Ramiz Raja as cricketer, presenter-commentator and now as Pakistan Cricket Board’s Chairman! But, do you know him off the field? We give you 5 interesting things about him that we’d like to share with you. Keep reading to find out!
Ramiz Raja is definitely among Pakistan’s well-known faces, and, in the world of international cricket. In 1992, under current Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cricket captaincy, he played in the Pakistani squad that won the country’s first & very memorable World Cup. After his retirement in 1997, he launched his career in cricket commentary both, internationally and nationally. He has worked with well reputed names like Ten Sport and BBC. The former cricketer has enjoyed a flourishing stint as cricket commentator & presenter globally.
Last month, he was appointed as Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB)’s 36th Chairman for a three-year term and has big plans for the future of cricket in Pakistan. He has also previously served as PCB’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from the year 2003 to 2004.
“I am thankful to all of you for electing me as the PCB Chairman and look forward to working with you to ensure Pakistan cricket continues to thrive and grow stronger, both on and off-the-field.”
ramiz raja on his selection as pcb chairman
Here are 5 things about the former Pakistani cricketer that we found very interesting!
1. Family Of Cricketers
If you thought he was the only cricketer in his family, you were wrong! There is a list of people from his family who have made a name for themselves in cricket before him.
His father Saleem Akhtar has played cricket for Multan and his brother, Wasim Raja is also a former cricketer who had played for Pakistan between 1976 to 1995. In fact, when Ramiz Raja made his debut, his brother was already a well-known cricketer by then. On top of that, his cousin had also played for Pakistan in 1994. And now, his nephew and Wasim Raja’s son, Ali Wasim Raja is following in his family’s footsteps and has played for Surrey Second XI.
So we think it would be safe to say that the love for cricket runs in the family!
2. ‘Obstructing The Field’
Did you know, in 1987, Ramiz Raja was given out ‘Obstructing the field’, which is one of the methods in cricket to dismiss a batsman who intentionally tries to either “obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action.”
There have only been six such instances in One Day International (ODI) cricket’s history and Ramiz Raja was the first-ever player in ODI who got it.
3. Ramiz Raja’s Education
Not many people know that apart from being an extraordinary cricketer, commentator, and administrator, Ramiz Raja is also highly educated. He has an MBA degree from Aitchison College, Lahore. After completing his MBA, the former cricketer went on to work with American Express, which is a US-based multinational financial services corporation headquartered in New York.
Moreover, he attended school at Saqid Public School, Bahawalpur, and St Anthony High School, Lahore. Later, he went to the University of Punjab and Government College in Lahore to receive higher education.
4. His Fondness For Rajasthani Architecture
Since his family has roots in Jaipur, Rajasthan, he has a deep fondness for Rajasthani architecture, so much so that he took inspiration from Jaipur’s famous Rambagh Palace to design his house.
“I told Nayyar Ali Dada to have it designed on the pattern of Rambagh Palace. I got to see the Palace from close quarters when the Pakistani team stayed there during a Test match in February 1987.”
Ramiz Raja said in a interview with Indo-Asian News Service
5. Controversies
Ramiz Raja often stirs controversies through his statements. Just recently, the former cricketer appeared before a Senate Standing Committee on Sports and stated that Pakistan heavily relies on the International Cricket Committee (ICC)’s funding and ICC gets most of its funding from India. Hence, any political differences between Pakistan and India can have severe consequences for PCB. Here is his full statement:
“Pakistan Cricket Board runs on 50% support from the ICC. ICC earns by organising tournaments and distributes the money among their member boards. 90% of ICC’s funding comes from the Indian market. So, in a way, Indian businesses are running PCB. If tomorrow, the Indian Prime Minister decides to stop the funding, PCB could collapse.”
ramiz raja at the senate standing committee on sports
His statement upset many, including former PCB Chairman, Khalid Mahmood, who thought Ramiz Raja’s comments were “shocking and ridiculous.”
As a former chairman of PCB who has been involved for almost fifty years promoting cricket in Pakistan, I find the statement of the current chairman reportedly made before the Senate Standing Committee highly shocking…”, stated former PCB chairman Khalid Mahmood on Ramiz Raja’s statement.
Ramiz has been very vocal since his recent tenure as chairman PCB, not afraid to speak his mind, he has voiced his disappointment at the recent cancellation of the New Zealand & UK tours and used his twitter handle to raise international pressure on teams for backing out at the last minute.
“Disappointed with England, pulling out of their commitment & failing a member of their Cricket fraternity when it needed it most. Survive we will inshallah. A wake up call for Pak team to become the best team in the world for teams to line up to play them without making excuses.” – Ramiz Raja – Twitter
Listen to more from Ramiz Raja ahead of the T20 World Cup!
This concludes our 5 informative things about the current PCB Chairman, Ramiz Raja. Which one did you not know? Let us know in the comments!
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Sources: Pakistan Cricket board, Dawn, STARSunfolded, Cricketnmore, Wikibio.
