According to allegations circulating from the Pakistani camp, PCB head Ramiz Raja has been fired from his job. The former cricketer has been replaced by Najaf Sethi, a former leader of the PCB. The announcement came only one day after Pakistan’s humiliating series loss at home against England.
After making some remarks on the field during the first game of the series against England, Ramiz Raja’s position came under fire. There were several rumours that a lobby had started a campaign to get the former cricketer removed off the board.
After former PCB chairman Najaf Sethi allegedly met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore to negotiate his reappointment, the rumours seemingly took off. It is important to note that Sethi, the new chairman, left his position when Imran Khan, a former captain of Pakistan, was sworn in as the nation’s Prime Minister in 2018.
Ramiz Raja was chosen to lead the PCB in 2021, signalling Imran’s accession to power. The Pakistani squad, on the other hand, has struggled recently, dropping two finals (the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup), then was swept by England at home, which has hurt their chances of winning.
Imran Khan’s resignation as prime minister of the nation put Raja’s position in jeopardy, but the former cricketer was able to save his job as chairman of the nation’s cricket governing body. He also threatened to withdraw from next year’s 50-over World Cup in India if the location of the 2023 Asia Cup was not changed away from Pakistan during his verbal battle with the BCCI, which hasn’t helped his cause.
The Pakistan Super League was founded in 2015 thanks in large part to Najaf Sethi, who departed his position in 2018. For the purpose of announcing the team for the forthcoming series against New Zealand beginning on December 26, an interim selection committee will probably be established.
After serving as the PCB chief executive from 2003 to 2004, Raja’s second term with the organisation would come to an end if he were to resign the position. After Abdul Hafeez Kardar (1972–1977), Javed Burki (1994–1955), and Ijaz Butt, Raja became just the fourth former Pakistani international cricketer to lead the PCB (2008-2011).
The 60-year-old has a distinguished background as a pundit. In an interview with former England captain Michael Atherton following the England series, Raja praised England’s new strategy in Test cricket and claimed to have counselled captain Babar Azam to choose T20 players for Test cricket in the same manner as England.
The door is not shut for anyone, Babar asserted in response to the query on Raja’s guidance. Every step has a predetermined strategy, and we have one for each format. It requires time. It takes time to change one’s thinking.