24.09.2021,11:09 870 0

Rameez Raja Elected Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman

After being elected unopposed, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, former Pakistan skipper Rameez Raja has taken charge from Ehsan Mani the former chairman, whose three-year tenure in the post has thus ended.

Contents

Raja Nominated by Prime Minister Imran Khan
Raja is 30th Chairman of PCB
Great Equation with Players
Challenging Days Ahead
Restoring Pakistan’s International Domestic Season is Priority

Raja Nominated by Prime Minister Imran Khan

Expectedly, Rameez’s nomination papers were the only ones received by the PCB for the post before the six governing board members of the cricket regulator voted him in. On 27 August, the patron in chief of the PCB, Imran Khan, who is also the Prime Minister of Pakistan, nominated Raja, who was a member of the Imran Khan-led world cup-winning squad of 1992, for the post.

Raja is 30^th Chairman of PCBp>In the past, twenty-nine individuals have served 35 terms as PCB chairmen. Before Rameez, three other former cricketers — Abdul Hafeez Kartar, Javed Burki, and Ijaz Butt, have held the post. An Imran Khan appointee, election commissioner and retired judge Sheikh Azmat Saeed oversaw the formal proceedings whereby Raja ascended to the post.

Great Equation with Playersp>Rameez Raja has already begun to meet with PCB officials and players. Members of the Pakistan squad for next month’s T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in Oman and the UAE are believed to hold Raja in great reverence. Bowling coach Waqar Younis and head coach Misbah ul Haq quit their posts within hours of the announcement of the squad. Raja is no stranger to the PCB — he had earlier served as the chief executive of the regulatory body, between 2003 and 2004. On Raja’s watch, India enjoyed a hassle-free tour of Pakistan in 2004. Bob Woolmer owed his appointment as coach of the Pakistan senior men’s team to Rameez.

Challenging Days Aheadp>The former skipper of Pakistan who featured in 198 one-day internationals and 57 Test matches between 1984 and 1997 is bound to face many challenges in his role as chairman of the PCB. Apart from overseeing the appointment of the coaching staff for Pakistan’s T20 world cup squad, Raja must manage the renewal of broadcasting and commercial rights for the Pakistan Super League, the PCB’s highest revenue earner.

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Restoring Pakistan’s International Domestic Season is Priority

wever, in the wake of the cancellation of the New Zealand tour of Pakistan, Rameez will surely prioritise the continuation of tours by international cricket squads. The PCB has since suffered a double blow with England following in New Zealand’s footsteps.

The ECB has announced the cancellation of tours by both men’s and women’s squads to Pakistan in a shattering blow for Pakistan cricket which has successfully hosted teams from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and South Africa in recent years, apart from hosting several overseas players featuring in the Pakistan Super League. Raja’s success in his role as PCB chairman may well be defined by how effectively he raises the issue with the ICC and restores Pakistan’s place in the international cricket forum.