Wasim Raja Passes Away

Wasim Raja who played many years as a cricketer for Pakistan has sadly passed away while playing cricket for an over 50s team in Buckinghamshire.

A Surrey spokesman was quoted as saying “He felt dizzy, and mentioned this to the slips, saying that he felt he had to go off. He was carried off but then collapsed on the boundary.”

Wasim has an outstanding series for which he will be remembered for against the West Indies in 1976-77. Wasim married an English woman and in later life was appointed an ICC Match Referee.

Tributes flowed in from none other than Pakistani greats Wasim Akram and Javed Miandad. Wasim said: “It is a very sad and heart-breaking news. As a teenager, I used to go and watch all the games in which Wasim Raja used to play.”

And he was backed up by Javed who stated: “We grew up together and played our cricket not only as team-mates but also as opponents. He was not only a true sportsman but a thorough gentleman. We have been involved in some of the best matches. It is sad to lose a great cricketer, a good sportsman and a true ambassador of the country.”

Wasim’s Test career included 57 Tests in which he scored 2821 runs at an average of 36.16, which was accompanied by 54 one-day internationals, and being a Match Referee for 15 Tests.