Akif Raja

Akif Raja (born 24 November 1992) is a Pakistani-born cricketer who plays for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team. He played in one first-class match for Lahore Shalimar in January 2014 in the 2013–14 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Pakistan.

In October 2021, he was named in the UAE's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2021 Summer T20 Bash tournament. He made his T20I debut on 8 October 2021, for the UAE against Ireland. In November 2021, he was named in the UAE's One Day International (ODI) squad for the 2021 Namibia Tri-Nation Series.

In February 2022, Raja was named in the UAE's ODI squad for their series against Oman. He made his ODI debut on 6 February 2022, for the UAE against Oman.

Personal life Raja was born on 24 November 1992 in Lahore, Pakistan. He is the son of Nasreen Akhtar and Raja Arif Ullah Khan; his father died of COVID-19. He moved to the UAE in 2017, initially working with NMC Health in Abu Dhabi and later with MGM Medical Center in Sharjah.