Nationwide cricketer Babar Azam (L) and Ramiz Raja captured throughout a dialogue at a cricket floor. — AFP/File
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has shifted accountability for Pakistan’s underwhelming residence pitches throughout his tenure to the then-captain Babar Azam, regardless of beforehand defending the floor circumstances.
Raja, talking throughout a BBC Check Match Particular (TMS) broadcast in the course of the second Check between Pakistan and England in Multan, stated Babar had been integral in pitch-related selections, a big shift from Raja’s earlier public feedback the place he defended the state of the pitches as a part of a broader technique towards Australia in 2022.
In his interview, Raja pointed to Babar because the central determine in establishing the pitch technique throughout Pakistan’s collection towards Australia. “I wasn’t really bossing the pitch preparation,” Raja stated.
“I was only listening to Babar. When he’d walk into my room, I’d ask him what plans he had to beat Australia. He came up with the strategy, and even though I sometimes questioned it, he was the captain at the end of the day,” he added.
“It becomes a guessing game when you do not know the nature of a pitch. You can’t really plan for an assault if the pitch is not going to behave properly or to your liking and to your strength. And that’s been the major reason, a major cause for Pakistan’s debacle at home. The pitches have not really responded to the kind of talent that you picked to perform,” Ramiz stated.
These remarks recommend a change in place from Raja, who, as PCB chairman, was broadly seen as the first authority behind the selections that led to Pakistan’s pitches receiving worldwide criticism for being too flat and lifeless, significantly in the course of the first Check towards Australia in Rawalpindi. The match resulted in a high-scoring draw, with solely 14 wickets falling throughout 5 days.
Australia’s Steve Smith had, then, termed the wicket “dead and benign” throughout one of many interactions with media.
Nevertheless, Raja had defended the pitch technique, claiming that it was designed to guard Pakistan’s restricted assets towards Australia’s highly effective bowling assault.
“A drawn match is never a good advertisement for Test cricket, and I totally understand that we need to get a result in five days,” Raja had stated after the Rawalpindi Check in March 2022.
“But just for the heck of it, we can’t prepare a fast pitch or a bouncy pitch and put the game in Australia’s lap,” he had added.
Throughout his look at BBC TMS broadcast, Ramiz Raja additionally shared his evaluation of Babar captaincy.
Whereas praising Babar for his management in white-ball cricket, Raja expressed frustration together with his Check captaincy.
“Partly, I rated him,” Raja stated. “He did well in white-ball cricket, but not so much in Tests. I was frustrated at times with how he set the field and managed things.”
Nevertheless, Raja acknowledged Babar’s potential to maintain the dressing room calm throughout turbulent occasions.
“One great thing about Babar Azam was that he held the calm of the dressing room together. They all responded to him when he had the backing of the board,” Raja added.
Raja additionally touched on the significance of gamers like Babar and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the branding of Pakistan cricket. “They are the advertisements,” Raja stated.
“When you’re flipping through cricket channels, why would you stop for Pakistan cricket? Maybe to watch Babar Azam’s cover drive or Shaheen Afridi’s in-dipping yorkers. Remove them, and from a sponsor’s or fan’s perspective, it doesn’t look great.”
