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Ramiz Raja is all set to be the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The decision follows a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, who gave the go-ahead for the change of guard at the PCB. Ramiz Raja will replace Ehsan Mani once the succession process is complete.

Both Ramiz Raja and Ehsan Mani met the Prime Minister on Monday (August 23) afternoon. After the meeting Ramiz Raja, a former Pakistan captain said that he had given Imran Khan his plans and the PM will make a call and decided to wait to hear from the PM’s office. Eventually, the decision was made three days later.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja will meet with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan today to discuss his probable appointment as chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after Ehsan Mani's tenure ends. — Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja met with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to discuss his probable appointment as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after Ehsan Mani’s tenure ends.

Ramiz Raja All Set To Be the New Chairman Of The Pakistan Cricket Board

Ramiz Raja confirmed that he has accepted the job as an official of the PCB confirmed that Ehsan Mani was no longer chairman of the board as his tenure ended on August 25.

“The aim is to reset Pakistan cricket’s GPS and will be in pursuit of excellence,” Raja, who was also a Chief Executive Officer of PCB said on Thursday (August 26).

Meanwhile, Imran Khan is understood to have asked Ehsan Mani – whose three-year term ended on Wednesday – to ensure a smooth transition of power. Ramiz Raja, a member of the 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan team under 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.

Ehsan Mani, 76 Years Old, Is Seen As Too Old For The Job As Chairman

Ehsan Mani (76), an experienced hand in cricket administration, both at the PCB and the International Cricket Council (ICC), was seen as too old for the job, which necessitated high amounts of energy, particularly at the ICC forum, where the PCB is left with very few friends.

Also, Ehsan Mani’s constant posturing against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), a powerful body at the ICC, did not leave him with too many friends in India. On the other hand, Ramiz Raja has no shortage of friends in India, which is an advantage for him.

However, Ramiz Raja’s appointment will entail a bit of a process. His name first will be forwarded to the Board of Governors of the PCB, being one of the two nominees. Following this, there could be an election if another BoG member wants to contest, but normally, a PM’s nominee is unlikely to meet any resistance.

When nominated by Imran Khan three years ago, Ehsan Mani was elected unopposed. In the same way, Ramiz Raja should find his way to the top position. The second member to be nominated by the Prime Minister is believed to be a noted businessman – Asad Ali Khan. There are seven on the BOG currently – four independent directors, CEO (Wasim Khan), and two nominees of the Prime Minister.

Ramiz Raja is a former chief executive of the PCB and had been in the hot seat when India’s revival tour of Pakistan took place in 2004. Shahryar Khan had been the chairman then. It will be the first time that two former captains are in charge of India and Pakistan’s cricket boards. Sourav Ganguly has been BCCI president since October 2019.

New Zealand and England are slated to tour Pakistan later this year. Ramiz Raja had said that the Babar Azam-led Pakistan side remains highly inconsistent and their ranking in all three formats reflects that they cannot make it to the finals of major tournaments.