As former test cricketer and commentator Ramiz Raja takes up the reins of Pakistan’s premier cricket authority, he has his job cut out for him. He has to measure up to the high standards set by his two illustrious predecessors, Ehsan Mani and Najam Sethi.
Najam Sethi had a ton of achievements under his belt. His most important contribution to Pakistan cricket has been the inauguration of the lucrative Pakistan Super League (PSL). The world-class T20 league has immediately done wonders to the state of Pakistan cricket, by introducing young quality talent.
This allowed Pakistan’s limited overs side to excel. Pakistan became the number one Twenty-20 International side and won the Champions Trophy during his tenure as well. Sethi resigned from his post in 2018 after which Ehsan Mani was named the Chairman PCB.
Ehsan Mani was selected as chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2018 after Najam Sethi, who left a lot of expectations from the PCB as he did a lot in his time.
Ehsan Mani came when Pakistan team was at the top. It was not going to be an easy job to maintain the same level of success. No doubt Ehsan Mani and his team were able to host international cricket in Pakistan, with Bangladesh, South Africa, and West Indies touring Pakistan in his tenure.
Also under Mani, Pakistan Super League’s venues in Pakistan were increased from two to four, giving Multan and Rawalpindi the chance to host Pakistan’s biggest cricketing tournament.
It seemed like Mani is doing an excellent job but overall performances by the Pakistan team were declining, although the same squad won the Champions Trophy recently. Multiple coaches were changed, chief selectors were removed, and even the caption of Pakistan Cricket Team was changed.
Sarfaraz Ahmed did not play many matches after he was removed from captaincy though he was a part of 15-member squad. Once again grouping was to be seen among the officials and players.
Some of the key projects that Mani has spearheaded during his time as the PCB Chairman include submission of bids for ICC Events from 2024-2031, finalization of PCB’s Future Tours Program 2024-2027, review of the HBL PSL business and financial model, and the sell PCB’s commercial and domestic media broadcast rights.
Ehsan Mani’s tenure ended on 25 August 2021 and he did not ask for any extension. Before leaving the office, he thanked the PSL franchise owners even though PSL franchise owners are not satisfied with the board.
After Mani’s exit, Ramiz Raja and Asad Ali emerged as contenders for PCB Chairmanship. They met Prime Minister Imran Khan and Ramiz Raja was selected as the new chairman. Ramiz Raja presented his plans to the Prime Minister for the Pakistan Cricket Team and is hopeful that the team will do wonders in his tenure.
Raja’s first upcoming event will be ICC World T20 and he’ll definitely have his eyes on it. Though there are teams stronger than Pakistan but the tournament is like a home tournament for Pakistan as we’ve hosted our home series in the UAE for ten years.
The second major task for Ramiz Raja will be to build a team for PSL management as there is none at the moment. The team he puts together will have an impact on Pakistan Super League itself.
PSL is a successful tournament but the league does not have a sponsor as contract with HBL ended this year. The responsibility of signing up a new sponsor rests with the new chairman.
As Ramiz Raja is appointed the new chairman PCB the fans are delighted. They wanted a cricketer as they have seen people who had no connection with cricket were appointed as Chairman PCB. Fans believe that a mindset of a cricketer as a head of board will help Pakistan cricket to ascend in the coming future. Fans and players congratulated Ramiz Raja and wished him good luck for this innings of his life.
To the sheer delight of cricket fans, Raja has announced that skipper Babar Azam will have the power of choosing the team all by himself for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, slated to be played in October.
