Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja reveals why he kept telling Babar Azam-led Pakistan to beat India

Former cricketer Ramiz Raja, who was recently removed as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by the country’s government, revealed that, during his tenure, he was disappointed by India’s unwillingness to travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup and for the same reason he threatened to pull out next year’s ODI World Cup, which will take place in India.

Notably, BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently announced that Team India will not be touring Pakistan for Asia Cup and that the tournament would be held at a neutral venue. Interestingly, Shah also serves as the president of the Asian Cricket Council and Raja said that the Indian cricket board secretary decided to move the Asia Cup from Pakistan without consulting the stakeholders of the ACC.

“I have got great regard for Indian cricket fans. I have enjoyed my stay in India over the years. Cricket breaks boundaries. I have received a lot of love from India as a commentator and as a cricketer. India thought Asia Cup cannot happen in Pakistan. India withdrew from Asia Cup without any discussion which was painful. I took a strong stance on this issue as a chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board,” Ramiz said on his YouTube channel.

“Leadership is very important when you are running cricket. England refused to come to Pakistan, but they came when we challenged them. The same goes for New Zealand. Both teams agreed to play extra matches. We had to take a stand because something unfair was happening.

“This was not even news to me, because it was a done deal that Pakistan will host the Asia Cup. To withdraw the hosting rights without any meeting, without any conversation, without any committee. No Asia Cup member also knew this,” he added.

Raja further revealed that he had always kept telling Pakistan skipper Babar Azam that they will have to beat India so that the BCCI take PCB seriously and consider them as a cricket superpower in the world.

“When any country tries to boss, then it becomes a problem. Suddenly, we took a stand against India and that situation won’t be painted in India that way. They will obviously say “who are they to challenge us?” Raja said.

“That’s why I would keep telling Babar Azam it’s important to win against India… If we are not competitive against them (India), they will not regard as us a superpower in cricket. We have to prove it again and again. We have also beaten India twice recently,” he added.

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