Ramiz Raja Image courtesy of: ARY Sports
Ramiz Raja Image courtesy of: ARY Sports

Ramiz Raja, the newly-elected Pakistan Cricket Board chairman on Monday said the resumption of bilateral assignments with India is “impossible right now” and he is “not in a hurry” for it either as his focus is solely on his country’s domestic circuit at this point.

The 59-year-old, who formally took over on Monday after being elected unanimously, also acknowledged that being chairman of the PCB is one of the toughest jobs in cricket.

Ramiz Raja. (Credits: Twitter)
Ramiz Raja. (Credits: Twitter)

Ramiz Raja Opens Up On Resumption Of Pakistan And India Bilateral Series: Impossible Right Now

Ramiz Raja, a member of the 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan team under Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership, has played 57 Tests and 198 ODIs from which he scored a total of 8674 international runs with 53 fifties and 11 hundred.

“It is a very big challenge and a lot of boxes had to be ticked before the prime minister (Imran Khan) decided to give me this tough job,” he said in a press conference here.

Asked about the possibility of revival of bilateral series between Pakistan and India, Raja said, “Impossible right now…”

India and Pakistan rarely play against each other but have a heated rivalry. (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
India and Pakistan rarely play against each other but have a heated rivalry. (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“…because the sporting model has been spoiled by politics and right now it is a status quo and we are not in a hurry on this issue because we have to focus on our domestic and local cricket,” he added.

The last time India and Pakistan faced each other was in the round-robin stage of the 2019 ODI World Cup, where the former won by 89 runs (DLS method). Their last T20 World Cup face-off resulted in India’s 6-wicket win over Men in Green in Kolkata in the 2016 edition.
However, due to the unfortunate political situation, the two teams haven’t played a bilateral series since 2012-13. Pakistan and India’s last bilateral ties at either of the two neighbouring countries were 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs in India way back in 2012.

Ramiz Raja Wants Pakistan To Play Fearless Cricket

He also expressed his displeasure over the development that there would be no Decision Review System in the upcoming Pakistan and New Zealand white-ball series in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

“Yes there is no doubt that this DRS issue reflects a mess and I will look into this matter,” he said.

Ramiz Raja expressed his reservations over the standard of coaching in the country and said there was a dire need to improve the local infrastructure in the country.

When asked whether he would allow the board CEO, Wasim Khan, to carry on, Ramiz Raja made it clear that he would not discuss internal matters of the body in public. However, he claimed that if it came down to proper accountability 90 per cent of the functionaries deserved to be sacked from the board.

Ramiz Raja was also asked about the India-Pakistan match in the coming T20 World Cup in Dubai. The game is due on October 24.

“It is a show stopper and when I met with the Pakistan team players I told them I want the tables to be turned this time and the team must be 100 per cent operational for the match and to do well in it,” he said.
India has not lost to Pakistan in any World Cup, be it in the ODI or T20I format. India has an 11-0 record versus their arch-rivals in limited-overs ICC tournaments.
Pakistan AFP / Lindsey Parnaby
Pakistan AFP / Lindsey Parnaby

The new PCB Chairman also said that he wants the national team to play fearless cricket.

“We must be prepared to face problems and also lose matches but I have told the players they shouldn’t worry about being secure about their places in the team and play fearless cricket. I know we will face more failures than success when we go on this path but we have to do it if we are to become relevant in world cricket. Because this is a process and we need to change the mindset of our players as well.”

Ramiz Raja is Pakistan’s 18th Test and 12th ODI captain and played 255 international matches in which he scored 8,674 runs in the period from 1984 to 1997. He has previously served the PCB as its Chief Executive from 2003-2004 and has represented Pakistan on the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee and presently sits on the MCC World Cricket Committee. After retirement, he has been a successful broadcaster.