Wasim Hasan Raja Pakistan’s stylist and spirited all-rounder July 3rd, 1952 ––– August 23rd, 2006
July 3, 2021
LAHORE: Former Test cricketer Wasim Hasan Raja was rumbustious and hirsute all-rounder for Pakistan in the 1970s and 80s. Born on July 3rd, 1952, Wasim was a wonderfully gifted left-handed dasher in the lower middle-order, at his best against West Indies. He played 11 Tests against West Indies, against attacks including Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Colin Croft, making 919 runs at 57.43, an average that only Greg Chappell exceeded during that era. He also had an excellent record against India, hitting two 90s on the 1978-79 tour when many of the other front-line batsmen crumpled under the pressure and ending the series with 450 runs at 56.25. He made his highest Test score against them –– 125 not out at Jullundur – and had his best bowling figures, 4 for 50, with his under-utilised legspin in the same match. His skiddy, Afridi-esque legbre
The sudden deaths that shook the cricket fraternity
They say, ‘Death is inevitable!’ While the sudden death of the 59-year-old World Cup winning Aussie cricketer-turned-coach and commentator, Dean Jones, is still fresh in our minds who recently passed away after a heart attack in Mumbai, the unexpected demise of much loved Pakistan’s national cricket team’s foreign coach Bob Woolmer during the forgettable 2007 World Cup campaign in Jamaica was equally saddening and haunted the Pakistani dressing room for long.
Both of these deaths came as an unanticipated horror. Sudden death of an otherwise healthy individual, let alone a healthy sportsman, without any prior sickness and not showing any significant health concerns, is always shocking. It is, however, the accidental death of young cricketers that left their followers in tears. Here we recall some of the accidental deaths of cricketers and deaths that occurred for on-field reasons that shook the cricket fraternity and the cr