It is a rarity in Test cricket that a batsman who averaged less than 37 overall, averaged over 57 against arguably the most lethal pace attack ever, overshadowing batsmen categorized as "truly great" when facing top West Indies pace bowling. He reserved his best for the West Indies pace attack, much like Alan Lamb and Peter Willey would later do. Wasim Raja symbolized the unique contradictions of cricket and how adversity brought out the best in a batsman. This year, on March 1st, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Wasim’s maiden Test century, scored against the West Indies at Karachi in 1975.
Wasim Raja was a gifted left-handed stroke-maker who often blossomed in adversity. A useful leg-spinner, he also opened the bowling for Pakistan on occasion, and was an outstanding, lithe cover fieldsman. His cricket bore a unique stamp. He never had a perfect or orthodox textbook batting stance, but a combination of his exemplary hand-eye coordination and a high back-lift made him a batting virtuoso. Forever rebellious against conventional norms, he earned the tag of a "rebel" in Pakistan cricket.
He represented Pakistan in more than 100 international matches, coached the national side for a short while, and had a spell as an ICC match referee, being in charge of the last Ashes series in Australia. He left a permanent mark for the style and spirit in which he played the game, yet had his fair share of brushes with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In a crisis, Wasim would rise to the occasion like few others. He lacked the "X" factor or popularity of his contemporaries like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Majid Khan, or Asif Iqbal, but at his best, he was in their league. Few left-handers were more adept at resurrecting a side from adversity or coping with a treacherous pitch. On his day, few more epitomized grit and courage.
Raja’s relentless defiance with the bat attracted large crowds to the grounds, especially in the Caribbean. In all, he played eleven Tests against the West Indian side that had perhaps the greatest fast bowling line-up, with the likes of Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, and Malcolm Marshall.
Wasim played an integral role in Pakistan emerging as one of the most formidable sides in the late 1970s, almost on par with the West Indies and Australia.
Despite coming from a privileged background, he rebelled against the hierarchy within the side, once refusing to hang out a senior player's socks to dry. He felt frustrated that he was picked on a match-by-match basis while a clique of senior players were permanent fixtures in the team. He regretted not having captained Pakistan ahead of the more ferocious Javed Miandad or the defensive Zaheer Abbas. After all, as a batsman, he was a prodigy at 18 and led the under-19 side. Quite often, he did not wear pads when practicing with his contemporary Imran Khan, who admitted that Wasim "was in a different class altogether and was already batting with a maturity beyond his years."
He was the eldest of three boys, all of whom played first-class cricket. Ramiz followed him into the Test team and later captained Pakistan, while Zaeem played for National Bank. His father, Raja Saleem Akhtar, also played first-class cricket, captaining Sargodha. Wasim made his first-class debut at 15 for Lahore, while still at school at Government College. He went on to Punjab University, where he excelled at cricket and academically, earning a first-class master's degree in politics, and joined the Test side in 1972-73, when called up as a replacement for the tour of New Zealand.
Playing Career
He blossomed in 1974 in England, where he topped the tour averages. Wasim played two classical innings at Lord's, facing Derek Underwood on a drying wicket, with organized, combative stroke-making, like a cat on hot bricks. At home that winter, in 1974-75, he scored his maiden Test hundred against the West Indies at Karachi. His virtuous innings triggered a full-scale invasion of the pitch in applause.
He was consistency personified against India, hitting two 90s on the 1978-79 tour of India when many of the other front-line batsmen succumbed under pressure, ending the series with 450 runs at 56.25. He gloriously resurrected Pakistan from dire straits in the 4th Test at Kanpur.
He made his highest Test score against India, 125 not out at Jullundur, resurrecting Pakistan from 169-7 to reach 337. It was a show of classical rearguard batting with the tail. He also had his best bowling figures, 4 for 50, with his under-utilized leg-spin in the same match.
Many former cricketers who played with Raja regard him as an educated and sensitive introvert. On the 1976-77 Australian tour, despite an impressive hundred against a state side, Raja wasn’t able to secure a place in the Test eleven. He was so embittered by this exclusion that his reaction led to his being debarred from the side. It was only due to the intervention of his captain, Mushtaq Mohammad, that he was retained in the team, which then went on the subsequent tour of the Caribbean.
On the 1977 tour of the West Indies, Wasim Raja exhibited consistency against the fiery Caribbean pace attack on a scale arguably no one else did before, with only Mohinder Amarnath, Greg Chappell, and Alan Border later matching it. He made four consecutive half-centuries in the first two Tests. Batting at number seven, he made 117 not out and 71 in the opening Test in Barbados, which resurrected Pakistan from the doldrums and brought them to the verge of a spectacular victory. In the second Test in Trinidad, he made another two half-centuries with scores of 65 and 84 in two innings. He notched up two more half-tons — 70 and 64 in the fourth and fifth Tests played at Queen's Park Oval and Kingston, respectively — escalating his tally of runs to 517 with a staggering average of 57.44 in the five-match Test series. Raja epitomized consistency against top pace as few ever did in cricket history. His stupendous efforts and tenacity brought Pakistan within a whisker of a drawn rubber. In few series in cricket history did batting resilience transcend higher intensity against such a powerful adversary.
Wasim Raja and his younger brother, Rameez Raja, played together in two Tests and four ODIs for Pakistan. In 1985, during the final of the World Championship of Cricket between India and Pakistan — played in Melbourne, Australia — Rameez tumbled on the fence while attempting an impossible catch off his bowling and was injured. The elder Raja ran towards the long-off fence to console Rameez, who was in apparent respiratory distress. Wasim Raja’s distress and calls to the dressing room for medical help demonstrated his deep love and concern for his younger brother. It was the last time that Wasim Raja represented his country in an international match, and subsequently, he settled in England to pursue other endeavors.
After Retirement
For a number of years, he played Minor Counties cricket for Durham, where he met his future wife, Anne, also a useful cricketer. He studied for his teaching degree at the University. While there, a serious car accident nearly ended his life, never mind his playing days, but he eventually returned to the game, helping Durham win the UAU Championship in 1990 with a match-winning 50 in the final. He went on to teach geography and PE at Caterham School for 15 years. Wasim sadly collapsed and died on August 23, 2006, while playing cricket for Surrey over-50s at High Wycombe. He is survived by his wife, Anne, and his two sons, Ali and Ahmed. It was an irreparable loss to cricket.
Statistical Record
Wasim Raja finished his Test career scoring 2821 runs in 57 Tests at an average of 36.16, scoring 4 centuries.
In all, he played 11 Tests against the West Indies, against attacks including Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and Colin Croft, making 919 runs at 57.43, which statistically bettered the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Greg Chappell against the Caribbean pace attack at its best.
Strangely, he averaged a meager 26.70 in Australia and 23.20 in England. It is regrettable that Wasim Raja was not consistent or prolific in Australia, given his immense potential. Wasim scored more runs and averaged more away than at home. He scored 1906 runs at an average of 37.37 away and 915 runs at an average of 33.88 at home.
Raja was at his best in drawn games, aggregating 1890 runs at an average of 45. All his 4 centuries were scored in drawn matches.
He captured 51 wickets at an average of 35.80 in 57 Tests. Wasim was thus an all-rounder in his own right.
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*Freelance journalist
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