Last Update on: November 11th, 2023 at 02:48 pm
Former Pakistan captain and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja, said that he felt really bad after meeting Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on the sidelines of the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
He met Babar on the eve of their last league match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against England.
“It was not a nominated meeting. I was doing a show for the ICC at the Nets. It was a meeting by chance. There were no specific plans for this meeting with Babar. Babar looked depressed and sounded frustrated because Pakistan has failed to qualify for the semifinal of the World Cup,” Raja told SUNO NEWS.
Ramiz Raja said the Pakistani players are hurt by the criticism they have been receiving from the media back home. Pakistan Cricket Board and the journalists back in Pakistan have had a negative impact on the players’ state of mind amid their poor performance. Ramiz Raja also revealed that some journalists attacked players on a city-based agenda which has impacted Pakistan Cricket heavily.
“Pakistani players have felt the reaction from back home. PCB and journalists played an important role but the majority played a negative role. It is difficult to cope in the social media era. In fact some journalists on the agenda attack players on a city basis which has damaged Pakistan Cricket a lot. We are living with a tribal mindset,” he added.
Ramiz Raja Praises Babar Azam For Not Losing His Cool
Ramiz Raja praises Babar Azam for not losing his cool with the kind of questions he has been asked in the press conference prior to their game against England. Raja said that if he was there in place of Babar, he would’ve given some harsh replies to the journalists.
“Babar is a mature captain with a good temperament who handles his anger very well. Pakistan Cricket Team is losing and people passing comments is unbearable. If I was in place of Babar, I would’ve given harsh answers in the press conference. I think as a critic we need to introspect,” said Raja.
Ramiz Raja later talked about Pakistan’s system of nurturing talents. He revealed that in comparison to India and Australia, Pakistan don’t have a system with great back-up talent and that they have to use the current set of players carefully. He urged some drastic changes in Pakistan Cricket.
“Pakistan Cricket has no system like India or Australia who have a great back-up talent. We are bound to utilise the current bunch of players carefully. There is no need for drastic changes. Pakistan Cricket needs time to move forward. I felt bad after talking to him,” he said.
Ramiz Raza hinted that Babar Azam talked to him about his captaincy but he refused to make that conversation public. He stated, “Babar shared with me but this was a private conversation between us and I don’t want to make it public.”
Pakistan have to chase the target set by England in 2.4 overs which seems practically impossible and thus the ongoing match between Pakistan and England is just a formality. New Zealand can breathe easy now as they are unofficially in the semi-finals and they will start their preparations for the semi-final encounter against India on 15th November at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
