Pak cricket board chief Ramiz Raja’s comments on India uncalled for

Hyderabad: Newly-appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja kicked up a furore when he commented that India controlled ICC and other countries have no courage to stand against it fearing India’s power. Speaking during a Senate Standing Committee, Raja said, “The PCB gets 50 per cent of its funding from the ICC. The ICC […]

Hyderabad: Newly-appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja kicked up a furore when he commented that India controlled ICC and other countries have no courage to stand against it fearing India’s power.

Speaking during a Senate Standing Committee, Raja said, “The PCB gets 50 per cent of its funding from the ICC. The ICC conducts tournaments and the income generated from them is distributed among its member boards. Now, 90 percent of the ICC funding is generated from the Indian market. In other words, Indian business houses are running Pakistan cricket. If tomorrow, the Indian Prime Minister decides that they will not fund Pakistan cricket, there’s a possibility that the PCB can collapse.”

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However, former Indian cricketers and administrators feel that India is working for the progress of the game. Former Indian cricketer Arshad Ayub said that the comments made by Ramiz do not hold the ground. “In a free country everyone is free to speak their will. Whatever he (Ramiz Raja) said was his opinion but it is not true. India has been working for the development of the game throughout the world. Mr Raja is speaking from his side as their country is facing trouble with lack of international cricket because of their own reasons. The fact is that India is contributing to the ICC immensely but India never tried to do any harm to the game in Pakistan or in any other country. In fact, India is playing a key role in the game’s development.”

Former Hyderabad Cricket Association secretary Shesh Narayan too felt the comments for Ramiz were uncalled for. “It is a very unfair statement. India never tried harming the game. Who is he to speak about India and its role? We have taken this game to the next level. We are major contributors to the ICC and we are proud of it.”

“India has always kept the interest of the game in mind. We have sacrificed IPL in India and went to UAE to conduct the game keeping the interest of the game and the players from other countries in mind. Ramiz Raja may have been a good cricketer in his playing days. But he can’t make allegations saying that India is trying to destroy the game in Pakistan.”

Recently, Pakistan cricket team kicked up another controversy by sporting team jerseys indicating UAE as the hosts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. India is hosting the mega event in UAE and Oman because of the Covid-19 situation. According to ICC rules, every team must sport a kit bearing India’s name.

Speaking about Pakistan team jersey with UAE as host nation, Shesh Narayan said it is not their wish to put whatever they want. “They (Pakistan) have to fall in line with ICC guidelines.”

PCB has been raising their voice against India’s domination in ICC. With New Zealand leaving Pakistan from the tour and England cancelling their trip to Pakistan, the country left fuming and the officials blamed India.

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