LAHORE: Former captain Ramiz Raja has appreciated the hard work and honesty of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis PCB.
Addressing a press conference after becoming chairman of the cricket board, Ramiz Raja said he had no role in the resignation of Misbah and Waqar.
“The decision to accept the resignations of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis was taken by the previous board but If I had a chat with them, I would have talked to them on these lines too,” he added.
He said that we have to change the direction of Pakistan cricket, the only difference between the 1992 and 1999 World Cup is strong leadership. The World Cup is upon us, we have to take a chance with the youth, he said.
Chairman PCB has ruled out a series with India soon, Raja informed by adding that a series with India is not possible in the current situation.
“We will not run behind India to play series with us,” Ramiz answered. “Immediate series talks with India is impossible as due to politics, sporting event is damaged. Our main focus is to address problems at the domestic, club and school level,” he added.
Ramiz Raja said that the cricket career of Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, and Wahab Riaz is not over. “Such experienced players are needed for the field, if they perform in leagues, they can return to the national team,” he added.
Ramiz was furious after the ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand were not part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League due to the unavailability of DRS.
“I was also hurt after I got to know this. It is quite a mess and there is no denial on this, I will talk on this and determine who is responsible,” he added.
Read more: Ramiz Raja elected unopposed as PCB chairman
Ramiz Raja announced 192 cricketers with domestic contracts will see an increase of Rs100,000 in monthly retainers across all levels.
“It is our duty to care for our cricketers and continue to take measures which strengthen our system,” Ramiz said. “This will also play a role in ending any uncertainty surrounding the current cricket structure; the welfare of present and former cricketers is paramount to me.”
He also announced plans to launch a U19 T20 league to develop young cricketers and ensure they are fully equipped for the modern-day cricket
Ramiz Raja has been elected as the 35th chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Raja was elected unopposed for a period of three years by a seven-member Board of Governors (BoG) during a meeting at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The election for PCB chairman took place under the supervision of PCB Election Commissioner, Mr. Justice (retd) Sheikh Azmat Saeed. Aasim Wajid Jawad, Alia Zafar, Asad Ali Khan, Arif Saeed, Javed Qureshi, and Wasim Khan attended the special meeting of BoG.
