Ramiz Raja lauds Babar Azam’s leadership for upholding Pakistan’s consistency.
Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja praised skipper Babar Azam on Thursday for the team’s consistency during the Bangladesh series and the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh in a three-match T20I and two-match Test series after being knocked out of the World Cup, where they only lost in the semi-finals to Australia but went undefeated through the group stages.
Raja claimed in a video message that people dubbed him a “catalyst” and wondered how he was able to turn the squad around.
“In cricket, I always think that leadership is important. When you put your trust in a leader and let him make decisions, he takes responsibility for everything—the team, the performances, and the disasters.”
When no one interferes with the captain’s tactics, according to the PCB chairman, they achieve results.
“I encouraged the squad not to worry about results before India’s match,” Raja added, and Pakistan heeded the chairman’s advice, defeating their archrivals in the T20 World Cup and making history.
The PCB chairman stated that it was critical to give the skipper a free hand in order to make him “fearless”.
“But this is just a pit stop; we still have a long way to go,” he remarked, emphasising that his tenure as PCB chairman began on a positive note.
Raja applauded the team’s steadiness, stating that they deserved commendation because they had to make quick judgements on the go.
“And we shouldn’t underestimate Bangladesh; they defeated Australia and New Zealand.”
Pakistan’s pitches are “overkilled and abused”, according to the PCB chairman, who also decried the country’s lack of infrastructure and grounds, which are critical for developing a good team.
“Unless your pitches are excellent, your performance will be poor.”
Raja stated that international pitches must be replicated in Pakistan since the team will not be able to prepare for matches in Australia, New Zealand, and other nations if it does not have good pitches at home.
The PCB chairman announced that he had “breaking news” for fans about pitches, which he will unveil in the coming days.
Raja stated that there was a need to improve the fan experience and that the PCB was working to install free internet services at the stadium for Pakistan Super League spectators (PSL).
“Outside the premises, we’ll set up a station. We’ll also look for a commentator among you, and I and another commentator will assess your suitability as a commentator,” he stated.
The PCB chairman said that his chairmanship would be guided by three principles: organisational excellence, commercial excellence, and cricketing excellence.
“You will not get a fantastic product until these areas synchronise, and we want to prepare a powerful product,” Raja added.
