Follow Us on Google News
KARACHI: Former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has opened up on the controversial removal of Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq from the coaching staff ahead of the 2021 T20 World cup.
Also read: BCCI fired its management fearing Pakistan’s white ball success
Misbah and Waqar were employed by the PCB as the head coach and bowling coach respectively but were later released from their roles not long before the mega event.
Also read: Ramiz Raja reveals receiving death threat during Australia’s tour to Pakistan
The two were replaced by Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach) and Abdul Razzaq (bowling coach). In a chat with private TV, Raja opened up on the ‘hard’ decision that he had to take.
Also read: PCB rejects former Chairman Ramiz Raja’s claims against Najam Sethi
“They received their full payments for two years. They were given full respect. As a chairman, it was my right to dismiss them. Even now, they are talking about removing Saqlain Mushtaq and replacing him with Mickey Arthur. I made contracts in such a way that I didn’t want the board to be left with a coaching setup for three years,” he said.
“We had yearly contracts. They (Misbah and Waqar) would’ve left in January/February anyway. We brought a new management. It wasn’t easy for me. I’ve played with Waqar, I talked to him in detail.”
Ramiz Raja also revealed that he himself spoke to Waqar while the CEO had a word with Misbah over the decision. But, the PCB chief confirmed that it was a well-thought-out decision.
Also read: Ramiz Raja vows to raise issue of ‘political interference in cricket’ at int’l forums
“The CEO talked to Misbah. It obviously didn’t look good that the change took place with a week or 10 days before the T20 World Cup. But I had an idea that we could only go to a certain extent with them. “When I used to do commentary, I realized that a change was necessary,” said the former PCB chief.”