Ramiz Raja, Pakistan’s former cricketer-turned-commentator, is expected to meet the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Imran Khan, today(23rd August).
The 59-year-old Ramiz Raja is likely to be given the big responsibility of PCB chairman in the near future. The three-year contract of the current chairman of the PCB, Ehsan Mani is set to expire on August 24.
Ehsan Mani Has Also Been Called In To Meet Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Ehsan Mani has also been called in to meet the prime minister today and it is expected that his journey with the PCB is near its end. Ehsan Mani was set for an extension but that changed when some government officials were left unhappy after the Pakistan team’s disappointing performance on the England tour and mishandling of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL).
An England team, missing most of their star players, whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series. With Ehsan Mani’s tenure as chairman likely to end soon, Ramiz Raja is one of the prime contenders for the job.
Ramiz Raja has played 57 Tests and 198 ODIs. He represented Pakistan (sometimes as captain) during the 1980s and the 1990s. Since retiring from cricket, he has been a commentator in international cricket matches. Ramiz Raja played international cricket for 13 years, appearing in 57 Test matches, with a career average of 31.83 and scoring two centuries.
According to sources, Prime Minister Imran Khan will recommend two names for the governing board which include Ramiz Raja and Dr Jawad Sajid Khan, chairman of the Lahore Gymkhana. One of these will be elected for the role of PCB chairman. It must be noted that PM Imran Khan has already appointed Justice (r) Azmat Saeed as the election commissioner to hold the PCB chairman elections.
Apparently, Imran Khan, himself a former captain under whom Ramiz Raja played the 1992 World Cup, feels it is time a former player runs the cricket affairs in the country. Another source said Ehsan Mani had also expressed reluctance to continue for another term due to health issues.
Pakistan Have Been Inconsistent In Limited Overs Cricket
Since the 2019 World Cup, poor selection decisions have seen players drift in and out of limited-overs squads, with few sticking around long enough to show results. Pakistan’s limited-overs squads have gone through numerous changes in the last couple of years.
Since the 2019 World Cup, they have tried 27 players in 11 ODIs and 38 players in 34 T20Is (in the first seven of those games alone, there were 25 different players, and a change in captaincy, though the team was No. 1 in the T20I rankings at the time).
Pakistan emerged victorious in the rain-hit T20I series against West Indies. Pakistan claimed the four-match T20 series 1-0 after 3 matches were washed out. In the preceding England series, England won the first two ODI matches to win the series with a game to spare.
England then won the third ODI by three wickets to win the series 3–0. Pakistan won the first T20I match by 31 runs but England went on to win the next two matches to win the series 2–1.