Rising

Former Pakistani captain Ramiz Raja has been shaken by two suicide blasts that left over 25 people dead last Tuesday.

His house in Lahore's Model Colony was damaged in this blast which was confirmed by the 46-year-old former Pakistani batsman.

“The knobs of almost all the doors and locks of the main door are broken and I had to immediately arrange for a contractor to repair the damage", he said from his Lahore residence. "The impact of the blast was such that it caused surrounding cars, running on CNG fuel, to burst into flames".

Raja added that he was sleeping at the time of the blast and he was waken by the blast.

"I was sleeping at the time when the bomb blasted (sic). I had never heard such a terrific noise in my life. The impact of the blast sound will remain in my ears and the smell of the barud in my nose for days to come."

In the first blast, a bomber, reportedly, drove into the building with 55 kilograms of explosives. The second blast had a less obvious target in a residential area not far from Asif Zardari's Lahore home. "It was half a furlong away from my home", he further added. Within minutes of the blasts, the Australian cricket team cancelled its tour of Pakistan.

Ramiz Raja fact file

Raja is a noted as a cricket commentator than he was as an opening batsman or Pakistan captain. He resigned from the post of the Pakistan Cricket Board CEO in August 2004 citing increasing media commitments as the reason for his decision. He will be in India for more than two months to provide cricket commentary for the series against South Africa. He is also commentating for the IPL.

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