"Ramiz Raja becoming PCB chairman will benefit Pakistan players" - Kamran Akmal
Pakistan veteran keeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has reacted to rumors of Ramiz Raja being in the mix to become PCB's chairman. With Ehsan Mani's tenure as chairman likely to end soon, Ramiz Raja is one of the prime contenders for the job. Kamran Akmal expects Raja to lift Pakistan cricket to big heights should he take the post.
ESPNCricinfo reported that Ehsan Mani will meet Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday (August 23) as convened by the latter's wishes. Mani's time in the position ends a couple of days after that. But he intends to retain the spot moving forward, adding to his three years of service.
Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Kamran Akmal recognized that Ramiz Raja's hiatus from commentary duties could be a signal about his immediate future. The 39-year old feels a cricketer becoming the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman will benefit the players on all fronts since he has previously served as the national team's skipper as well.
"He hasn’t been going for commentary duties in the last couple of series and that gave us some signals for the future. A cricketer coming in as a chairman would benefit domestic cricket. It will bring in money. There was a lot of talk about bringing in money by commercialising so that players get money. Ramiz (Raja) bhai coming in will benefit players financially. Maybe the teams might improve as well. Management might get better as well because he has been a captain himself."
Akmal added:
"Cricket doesn’t improve at the international level. If you want good cricketers, you have to make them at the grassroot level. Unfortunately, no one has been paying attention to it in the recent past. This is why cricketers at the lower level are ignored. We have all seen how sensitive he (Ramiz Raja) is regarding cricket with his words. It is time to walk the talk now."
Ramiz Raja has been in the PCB in the past: Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal further stated that Ramiz Raja has previously been in the PCB and brought some transformations as well. The 39-year old pointed out that the cricketer-turned-commentator often pointed out the ways of planning and how development must take place.
Thus, Akmal predicts Ramiz Raja to make better decisions if he becomes the chairman and raise the graph of the Pakistan cricket team.
"He has been in the PCB in the past. He made region cricket and changed the system from division cricket. There is a new system now that was the Prime Minister’s vision. We have always heard him talking about how the team should plan, become mentally strong and develop. When he comes in as chairman, he will have an opportunity and would want to see how to raise the graph of our cricket team. This will happen if he makes correct decisions and looks after cricket."
Pakistan has been one of the most inconsistent teams in recent times. They have some world-class players in their ranks, but have failed to sufficiently move forward. The batting line-up sans captain Babar Azam has remained a consistent issue across formats in recent times.