Ramiz vows to make Pakistan a ‘feared’ team once again

KARACHI: Former captain Ramiz Raja on Monday vowed to help Pakistan become a “feared” cricket team once again. “One of my key focuses will be to help introduce in the Pakistan men’s cricket team the same culture, mind-set, attitude and approach that once made Pakistan one of the most feared cricket playing nations,” he said in his maiden press conference after being elected as the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Addressing the BoG following his election, Ramiz said: “I am thankful to all of you for electing me as the PCB Chairman and look forward to working with you to ensure Pakistan cricket continues to thrive and grow stronger, both on and off-the-field.

“As an organisation, we all need to get behind the national team and provide them the desired assistance and support so that they can produce that brand of cricket which the fans expect from them,” he said.

Ramiz is Pakistan’s 18th Test and 12th ODI captain. He played 255 international matches in which he scored 8,674 runs from 1984 to 1997. He previously served the PCB as its Chief Executive from 2003-2004, has represented Pakistan on the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee and currently sits on the MCC World Cricket Committee.

He has been elected for a term of three years. As widely expected, he was the only one to have submitted his nomination papers for the post and voted in by six PCB governing board members. Nominated directly on August 27 by Pakistan’s prime minister and the PCB’s patron-in-chief Imran Khan, Ramiz was always a favourite for the role after it became apparent Ehsan Mani would not continue. This is the 36th term of a PCB chairman, and Ramiz is the 30th person to assume the role. He is the fourth former cricketer to become chairman after Ijaz Butt, Javed Burki and Abdul Hafeez Kardar.

Retired judge Sheikh Azmat Saeed, an election commissioner nominated by Imran, oversaw the process. Ever since his nomination, Ramiz has actively been meeting with players and PCB officials. He is also understood to have had significant involvement in the selection of Pakistan’s upcoming T20 World Cup squad. Hours after the squad was announced, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis submitted their resignations.

Ramiz faces significant administrative challenges. Broadcasting and commercial rights for the Pakistan Super League, currently the top revenue generator for the PCB, are up for renewal. The PCB has made progress in making international tours to Pakistan a regular occurrence, and continuing that trend is likely to remain a key priority.

Over the last three years, the PCB has remodelled the domestic circuit, reducing the number of teams from 16 to six, and has even eliminated departments altogether. Currently, all six associations have nominated board members. Ramiz has indicated he would like to change that by making them self-sufficient associations so they can have their own elected body. With input from agencies