Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja believes that the future of the game in the country is going to be very bleak under the new management of Najam Sethi and co. He claimed that the new administration doesn’t value the sport.
Ramiz Raja was removed as the PCB chief in December 2022, when Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif appointed Najam Sethi as his replacement. Raja had taken over the PCB chief from Ehsan Mani in 2021 after being named by previous PM Imran Khan.
In an interview with Geo Super, Ramiz slammed the team selections which as per him are made on nepotism and political ties. He also appeared to be concerned over the revisions made to the PCB constitution to appoint Sethi as the new chief.
Ramiz said: “If you don't give enough respect to this great sport, the future is going to be very dark. It's not right when you don't let a system run smoothly and come to run the country's cricket with the help of nepotism and politics. We first need to understand if there is any law or order. They changed the constitution just to bring someone in."
Raja was sacked as the PCB chief after Pakistan was defeated 4-3 in the T20I series at home by England last year and then England returned to whitewash Pakistan 0-3 in the Test series. Pakistan also lost to Australia 1-0 in the Tests.
On the other hand, Ramiz Raja called his tenure the golden age for Pakistan cricket. He said he was able to increase fan engagement significantly while at the helm of the Pakistani board. He also pointed out that several top teams have started touring Pakistan, which was a rarity in the past.
"Pakistan's winning percentage was over 60, the third-best in the world. We were able to set new records in terms of fan engagement. The one year was a golden period for Pakistan cricket. No big team used to visit us before, but that changed. There were such brilliant performances. We are considered one of the top teams in white-ball cricket,” Raja added.
Pakistan suffered a 2-1 series defeat against New Zealand in the recently concluded three-match home series. The Kiwis are set to tour Pakistan once again to play five T20Is and as many ODIs in April and May this year.
(Geo Super inputs)
