Pakistan Cricket Board

War of words continues, PCB Chairman Najam Sethi holds press conference to refute former chairman Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistan player Ramiz Raja was unceremoniously removed from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairman position last week. The board however did not reveal the reason for the sacking and the reason has remained under wraps even after the announcement was made.

Former chairman Najam Sethi was reinstated as the chairman of the board after Raja’s sacking. The two however got involved in an ugly fight on social media. Raja made his YouTube comeback after the sacking and lashed out at the management for mistreatment.

He also said that he won’t be given a job in Pakistan cricket in the future and he would also not be allowed to commentate on international matches. The current chairman Najam Sethi however has squashed all such claims and termed them to be false.

“Will not stop Ramiz Raja in any way. I have great respect for him. I understand the kind of pressure he must have been in about me from up. Ramiz is a free man and if he is selected for commentary, we will not oppose it, in any circumstances we won’t,” Sethi told the media.

He wants limelight at any coast- Raja

Earlier, Raja claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board had to make a lot of changes to bring Sethi as the new chairman. “To accommodate one person, Sethi to be precise, they had to change the entire constitution (of the PCB). I have not seen this anywhere in the world. It has been done in the middle of a season, when teams are visiting Pakistan. They have changed the chief selector, who had played Test cricket. At 2 am in the night, he (Sethi) tweets that Ramiz Raja is gone. This is my playing field. It hurts,” Ramiz said during a YouTube interaction with the fans on Monday.

He has also revealed that it is Mike Arthur whom the board wants to replace current coach Saqlian Mushtaq with. “It has been made out as if a messiah (Sethi) has come, who will take the game to new heights. We know what he is up to. He wants limelight at any cost. He has nothing to do with cricket, and has never lifted a bat. They have changed me midway. In the middle of the season they are bringing Micky Arthur. Saqlain Mushtaq’s tenure was ending anyway in January. Saqlain has played over 50 (49) Tests, he is a legend. This is no way to treat the cricketers,” said the outspoken ex-cricketer.