Pakistan endured a 0-3 drubbing against England in the recently-concluded Test series, following which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja was sacked from his position. The move was taken by the Pakistan government as he was replaced by Najam Sethi, which also appointed a 14-member committee to run the sports for the next four months.
Raja on Monday took to social media to unravel the mystery behind his sudden exit, where he took a dig at Sethi and revealed the ill-treatment, which followed after his ouster.
“Aisa inhone hamla kiya cricket board mein aake. Mera saman bhi nahi lene diya inlogo ne. Subah yeh 9 baje, 17 bande dhandate fir rahe they cricket board mein. Jaise ki koi FIA ka chapa par gaya. (They way they attacked the cricket board. They didn’t even let me take my stuff. Early morning at 9 around 17 guys stormed at the office, which felt as if the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan has raided the office).
The former Pakistan cricketer made the comment while taking questions from fans, the video of which is available on Raja’s official YouTube channel.
He added: “They are least interested in cricket. The cricket board puts them in a powerful position, and all they want is people keep bowing in front of them.”
Raja also lamented the fact he was sacked even before his contract could get over and it comes at a time when international cricket is returning to the country.
“To bring just one person you changed the entire constitution of Pakistan Cricket Board. I have never seen this happen in the world that to adjust Najam Sethi, you had to change the constitution.
“In the middle of the season, when teams are coming to play in Pakistan, you have done this, and then you changed the chief selector. The point is that Mohammad Wasim whether he was doing a good job or not, is a former Test cricketer, and you should have made him leave with respect,” said Raja.
He added: “This Najam Sethi is tweeting 2:15am at night that Ramiz Raja has been sacked, start congratulating me. I have played Test cricket, this is my field, and it hurts to see these people from outside cricket trying to act like a Messiah. I know that their motives are non-cricketing. These people are here for the limelight.”
Raja served as PCB chairman for 15 months after being appointed by former Prime Minister and Pakistan’s World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan in September 2021. During his short stint, Pakistan made immense progress in white-ball cricket, reaching the semifinals and finals of the T20 World Cup in the previous two editions. They also reached the finals of the Asia Cup, where they defeated India at the Super 4 stage.
