Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has broken silence regarding the controversy surrounding his post-match interview with Test team captain Shan Masood after Pakistan’s series win over England.
Pakistan pulled off a superb come-from-behind 2-1 series win following an emphatic nine-wicket victory against England in the decisive third Test at Rawalpindi.
However, Ramiz was seen taunting Masood after the game as he, instead of talking about series win, asked the skipper: "Aapne 6 losses in a row kaise achieve kiya?" (How did you achieve six losses in a row?).
Ramiz's absurd questions didn’t go down well with the fans and many former cricketers, including pacer Mohammad Amir, who called for more respect and professionalism in his behaviour.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramiz Raja defended his line of questioning, citing that his intention was not to undermine the team’s achievement but to explore how they overcame recent setbacks to get the better of a star-studded English team.
"I asked a couple of questions, and my goal wasn’t to belittle anyone or cast Pakistan's victory in a negative light. As a commentator, the more Pakistan wins, the more opportunities open up for all of us in the cricketing ecosystem,” Ramiz said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator also dismissed the social media backlash, saying, "Pakistan zinda hi social media pe hai (Pakistan lives on social media).”
Ramiz was rather livid with people for misinterpreting his comments. “If I lived my life based on social media narratives, I wouldn’t be in this field. There are many uninformed opinions from people who haven’t played cricket but act like experts,” he added.
The 62-year-old clarified that he did not intend to question Shan Masood’s captaincy and expressed surprise at how the conversation was perceived as something controversial.
"When Bangladesh won 2-0, I didn’t ask for anyone to be removed. Why would I question Shan's captaincy after a series win?" he argued.
Earlier, Mohammad Amir slammed Ramiz Raja for his post-match remarks, suggesting that the former PCB chief should have focused on celebrating the series win rather than bringing up past failures.
"You should celebrate the series win. There is a series winning captain sitting next to you. You should have asked him about the win, next plans. But you are making fun of him. Have some respect. You are literate people and you should behave like one as well (Padhe likhon wali harkaten kiya karen). Where the credit is due, you should give it. I was feeling so bad for Shan. Ramiz has been doing on-air duties for so long now and he has no idea what to ask a winning captain," said Amir in a viral video.
