Edited By: Aditya Maheshwari
Last Updated: December 29, 2022, 15:59 IST
Salman Butt expressed his disappointment over Ramiz Raja’s antics after getting sacked as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman. Pakistan cricket is under the limelight for all the wrong reasons in recent times as Raja was removed from the PCB’s head position as Najam Sethi was reappointed as the chief after the board reinstated the old constitution overnight.
Interestingly, several former cricketers were happy with Raja’s sacking as Sethi also took a jibe at Raja after becoming PCB chairman. Raja didn’t hold back and said that Sethi and his team have no cricketing knowledge as they don’t want the better of cricket in Pakistan. The former Pakistan captain also said that the entire Constitution was changed to let Sethi become the PCB head.
However, Butt feels that Raja was lucky that he wasn’t removed overnight but his recent antics have left a bitter taste and he should not have reacted this way.
“Ramiz Raja was lucky that the new government allowed him to work for several months after coming to power,” Butt said. “Not only did they not remove him straight away, but they also supported him. There had been talks about Ramiz’s removal. It did not happen overnight. I think his recent comments have left a bitter taste.
“People have been sacked before too, but nobody has ever reacted this way after being removed. It’s like someone has snatched a toy from a kid’s hand. He should not be making such statements and needs to show some grace. He should consider doing commentary now,” Butt added.
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The former opener also suggested that the recent comments of Raja have also impacted the Pakistan team’s performance in recent times as they lost the Test series to England and now struggling against New Zealand.
“The team’s recent performances and the comments made by Ramiz Raja have damaged Pakistani cricket. He should accept it gracefully. There needs to be peace. How long are we going to keep fighting amongst ourselves?, he added.
Butt also pointed that Raja did some good things as PCB chief but he failed to do enough for Pakistan cricket at the grassroots level.
“Ramiz has done a lot of good things during his tenure, and we must thank him for that. However, while he increased the salaries of the players, he didn’t do enough at the grassroots level,” he said.
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