“Had To Recall Retired Players”: Ex-PCB Chief Shows True Picture Of Pakistan At T20 World Cup

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and cricketer Ramiz Raja has slammed the Pakistan team after their group stage exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Pinpointing the many different aspects in which they were lacking, Ramiz Raja used the term “mind-boggling” to highlight the poor decision-making during the tournament. After a shock loss to co-hosts USA and then defeat to arch-nemesis India, Pakistan failed to make the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup. As a result, their qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup is also not guaranteed.

“There was no consistency in selection, their preparation was hodgepodge because they didn’t know who was going to open the innings, and they were in experimental mode for a very long time,” said Ramiz Raja, in his first criticism of the team.

Pakistan went with the experienced duo of Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam at the top at the start of the tournament, leaving out young Saim Ayub, a decision that brought in criticism from experts.

“They even had to recall retired players,” said Raja, pointing at the re-selection of pacer Mohammed Amir.

“There were also changes in the PCB, and changes as captain,” he added. Ramiz Raja was the chairman of the PCB from September 2021 to December 2022, a period in which Pakistan reached the semi-finals and final of consecutive T20 World Cups.

Recently, former India cricketer-turned-expert Sanjay Manjrekar had jokingly suggested that perhaps Ramiz Raja should replace Babar Azam as captain, as Pakistan usually “go to him to save them”.

“You’ve got to sort out the order up here,” said Raja, pointing towards his head. Critiquing the game awareness and mentality of the Pakistan players, he pointed out the decision of letting left-hander Fakhar Zaman face left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar in the Super Over against USA.

Despite wins over Canada and Ireland, Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage, following their two early defeats.