CricketViewer.com

Ramiz Raja has been the former Pakistani opener, former selector, and former PCB executive. Now he is more known for his commentary than of his previous career, which wasn’t that much spectacular anyway.

Due to this commentary job, he almost remains with the Pakistani squad, and is normally found in the dressing room when not commenting, and he is also reported to be present in the same hotel where the team resides. He himself, during his commentary mentions his frequent interaction with the team players.

After the famous of 92 world cup, Pakistani cricket fell into a deep chasm of politics, intrigue, match fixing, scandals, and other skirmishes. Many players left the team, or many were forced to leave. Pakistan also changed coaches and captains were changed like weathers. After much mud slinging and court room theatrics, a group was identified who was actively involved in the match fixing, and had links with the gambling mafia. Many great names like Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, and Inzamam-ul-haq were mentioned and then hushed under the carpet. Ramiz Raja was also one of those names.

Some sports journalists, even now see his presence with the Pakistani team as a bad omen. Though he hasn’t has any direct link with the team, but he always try to throw his shadow over the team affairs. Such as now he seems not very happy with the Shoaib Malik and now touting Misbah-ul-haq as the new captain. He has ruled out Mohammad Yousuf and he has ruled out Younus Khan. He is also in the favour of Pakistanis playing Indian Cricket League, and he is dead against Shoaib Akhtar. He is also very much close with Shahid Khan Afridi, who was one other name linked to the gambling mafia and has got a very shady character.

Ramiz Raja was also known to be very close the late Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer, who died earlier this year in Caribbean in very mysterious circumstances and we even don’t know now that whether he died a natural death or was it a cold-blooded murder. It was surfaced that Bob had also something to do with the gambling mafia, and that mafia was actually behind his departure. Who knows, but it would be a good thing for Pakistani team management to politely whisk Ramiz Raja away from the Pakistani team for good.