Wasim, who played 57 Tests and 54 one-day internationals, died of a heart attack while playing in a club match.
LONDON: Former Pakistan Test all-rounder Wasim Raja died of heart attack while playing a friendly cricket match for English county Surrey. He was 54.
"Wasim had a big heart attack on the field," said a Surrey spokesman. "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 was the brother of Test cricketer-turned-commentator Rameez Raja.
"We were told of this sad news by the family of Rameez Raja (Wasim Raja's younger brother) a little while ago. The entire team is now heading for the residence of Wasim Raja," a Pakistan team official said.
Rameez is also in London as one of the television commentators.
Raja, a stylist and hard-hitting left-hander and useful spinner, played 54 Tests for Pakistan between 1972 and 1985, and scored 2,821 runs at 36.16. He also took 51 wickets with his right-arm wrist spin bowling. In 54 one-dayers, he scored 782 runs at 22.34 and bagged 21 wickets.
Raja, whose career started and ended in New Zealand, also represented Durham in English county championship. At domestic level, he represented Punjab, National Bank, Pakistan International Airlines, Sargodha and Combined Universities.
After retiring from cricket, Raja settled in England and became a professor of English. He also had a brief stint with the Pakistan cricket team as coach in 1999 before he was appointed ICC match referee in 2002.
The news of Raja's death plunged Pakistan cricket fraternity into gloom.
"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," former captain Wasim Akram said.
"He was a crowd favorite not only because of his hard-hitting abilities but because he was a charismatic character. He was an idol of most of the youngsters in the 70s and 80s," Akram added.
Javed Miandad, who played alongside Wasim Raja, was also shattered with the news.
"We grew 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," Miandad said.
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