"World will not recognize you" - Ramiz Raja recalls advice to players during his tenure as PCB chairman regarding India-Pakistan contests
Former Pakistan opening batter Ramiz Raja recalled his advice to players regarding contests between India and Pakistan during his stint as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman. The ex-PCB boss remembered how he advised them to beat India or be competitive against their arch-rivals to gain respect.
With India and Pakistan not having played a bilateral series since 2012-13 due to political reasons, the match between the two sides in ICC events becomes one of the most-watched ones. The Men in Blue have dominated Pakistan on most occasions in global events, dating back to 1992.
Speaking at World Cricket Connects, Ramiz recalled that Pakistan performed well briefly during his tenure as PCB chief, but the country's problems affected their performance too.
"When I was the chairman, I used to tell the team all the time, until or unless you beat India or be competitive against them, the world will not recognize you. That is the landmark. They did reasonably well for about a year, year and a half. Then the general turbulence that the country is going through is being reflected in the performance of the team."
It was during the 61-year-old's tenure that Pakistan beat India for the first time in any World Cup game which took place three years ago in Dubai. The Men in Green also beat their neighbors once in the Asia Cup 2022 fixture.
"Fans should not be missing the spectacle" - Ramiz Raja
Ramiz also called for ex-cricketers from both sides to robustly support the resumption of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. On this, he added:
"Ex-cricketers need to understand the value of an India-Pakistan contest. Fans should not be missing the spectacle. It's our job to say that let’s put politics to one side and play cricket because it will benefit the world. We need a stronger, positive vibe surrounding the issue. The onus is on Indian ex-cricketers and Pakistani ex-cricketers to make it happen."
The two sides could lock horns in the 2025 Champions Trophy.