Ramiz Raja, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), highlighted the importance of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) and grassroots cricket in the event held at the Government College University Lahore.
He believes that PJL and grassroots cricket can be the pathway for building up young and talented players and providing them with opportunities to showcase their skills and progress to higher levels of cricket.
He said that the PJL could generate revenue for the board. As a result, Pakistan will not have to rely on the International Cricket Council (ICC) for funding, which the Board of Control mainly supports for Cricket in India (BCCI). It is pertinent to mention that his dream project has been scrapped by newly appointed chairman, Najam Sethi.
Raja also criticized the Indian Cricket Board, claiming that it is being controlled by a “BJP-influenced mindset”, which is trying to restrict Pakistan’s participation in international cricket. He further suggested that the BCCI heavily influences the ICC due to the majority of the revenue generated by the ICC coming from India.
Furthermore, Raja spoke about his time as the chairman of the PCB, highlighting that his focus during his 1.5-year tenure was on growth and consistency. He rejected the notion that cricketers make bad administrators, stating that cricket affairs should be run by cricketers and kept separate from politics.
He also spoke about several current issues affecting the PCB, including the recent firing of over 150 coaches and the appointment of Shan Masood as vice-captain of the one-day team for the New Zealand series, which Raja believes will cause undue pressure on the team.
In addition, Raja addressed the issue of match-fixing in cricket, labelling players involved in such activities as “traitors” and expressing his lack of respect for them. He also spoke about his experiences in an era where match-fixing was less prevalent, saying that in his time, “nine players were fighting for the win while two were just playing around.”
