‘Humne bench pe Messi nahi bitha rakha hai’- Ramiz on Shoaib Malik’s T20 WC snub; says his achievements unmatchable

Ramiz Raja said that the work he did for Pakistan team will not be matched by anyone.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja gave his opinion on many feelings that the national team’s middle order in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad is extremely weak and doesn’t have much form going into such a big tournament.

Many veteran cricketers felt Pakistan should have included an experienced star in Shoaib Malik in the middle order to strengthen the batting, especially after Pakistan lost the Asia Cup 2022 final and the home T20I series to England 3-4.

With the middle order showing signs of weakness, many called for the return of Malik to the line-up, but the veteran was not considered yet again. He played in the last T20 World Cup 2021 and played some crucial knocks in the team’s run to the semis.

Ramiz Raja explained that the middle order chosen by the Pakistan selectors was done after experimenting last year with various players. He admitted that Pakistan doesn’t have many options to choose from due to the limited talent on the bench.

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“Humlogo ne pichle T20 me kiya tha, mujhe koi problem nehin hain. Mere jo philosophy hain na cricket ki aur achhi team ki woh yeh hain ki ek consistency chaiye selection main. Dusra, aapko captain ko strong karna chaiye. Humrahe bench main koi Lionel Messi nehi baitha huya hain, aur humne ekdom hi raddi players ko rakha hain. Humare options limited hain. And isiliye option ko barane kiliye and talent pool ko increase karne kiliye junior level ke upar bohot kaam kar rahein hain. May be iss wqat hit and miss hain...but mera philosophy wohi hain ki captain ko strong karna chaiye. Unko aap options de ki kin players ko khilana chaiye,” Ramiz Raja said on Geo News' program "Naya Pakistan."

Furthermore, Ramiz glorified his work in the PCB and in the development of the Pakistan team and said that his achievements as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman were unmatchable.

“None can do, what I have done. I do not care about political pressure. To me, the team’s loss is my loss. Pakistan team will enter T20 World Cup in their best form. We are capable of clinching the T20 World Cup and we will. They are not under any pressure and will bring the glory home.

My philosophy is simple, make your captain strong. Babar, a gem of a player discovered after so many years, is trying hard and improving day by day,” Ramiz added.