Former Pakistan captain and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja’s elder brother Wasim Raja was one of the mercurial cricketers in his times. He was one of the few batters, who fearless took on the likes of West Indies great pace bowlers like Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall. He turned out in 57 Tests for Pakistan and scored 2,821 runs with 4 hundreds and 18 fifties.
His maiden Test hundred came against the fiery West Indies back in 1975 in the 2nd Test at Karachi. However, the match is best remembered for his shocking behaviour on the field which not only shamed cricketers but also shocked his nation.
In a drawn Test in Karachi in 1975, Wasim Raja scored 107 not out in Pakistan’s total of 406 for 8 declared with opening Majid Khan also chipping in with a hundred. In reply, West Indies scored 493 with Alvin Kallicharan and Bernard Julien scoring centuries.
During the course of their fielding effort, Wasim Raja reportedly shocked the Karachi crowd with his behavior on the field. The mercurial Pakistan batter, while fielding on the boundary, turned towards the crowd and opened his trouser’s zip which left the Karachi crowd stunned according to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper.
Today is death anniversary of a cricketer who was real Raja of the game. “Wasim Hassan Raja. Passed away in 2006.
Brother of @iramizraja
Flamboyant, fearless & big-hitting batsman & very useful leg-spinner.
Beautiful 60* vs 3rd Test @ Karachi 1984pic.twitter.com/hNqMRHRAuV— Zohaib (Cricket King) (@Zohaib1981) August 23, 2023
In his autobiography, ‘Inside Out,’ former Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad had written that he was tempted to select Wasim Raja, but since Pakistan were 1-0 down in the series vs New Zealand in 1976, he wanted a more responsible batsman in the side. Raja, in a ‘drunken rage’, smashed a mirror to bits in his hotel room, and then stumbled across the hotel lobby, accusing the team manager, Shujauddin, of favouritism.
On one of the West Indies tours, Wasim Raja reportedly slipped out of the dressing room and mingled with a bunch of West Indian fans to smoke ganja (marijuana) with them.
Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad in his book, ‘A Cutting Edge’, described Wasim Raja as one of the hardest-hitting batsmen. But he also thought Raja was his own greatest enemy.
After having a great tour of India in 1979, where during one side game in Amritsar, he had threatened to grab the groin of an approaching fan, Raja once again became a frustrating in-out case, finally bidding farewell to cricket in 1985.
Wasim Raja sadly died early at the age of 55 in 1984.
