PAKISTAN cricket team hasn’t really been a formidable force lately, with inconsistency being a major concern for them. In July this year, the Men in Green shockingly suffered a 3-0 whitewash against a second-stringed England team in the ODI series. The national team’s mediocre performance has also raised questions over the management and the officials. However, Pakistan cricket might see a new era with current PCB chairman Ehsan Mani’s contract expiring on August 25.
While Mani is reportedly determined to extend his tenure, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has thrown his hat for the position at the helm.
The vital call will be taken by none other than the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who himself was a former cricketer. Imarn Khan will nominate two names (in this case likely to be Mani and Raja) to PCB’s board of governors, who will then elect the chairman.
Meanwhile, ESPNCricinfo reported that Raja met Imran Khan to discuss a roadmap to take Pakistan cricket forward. “I did meet with the PM and presented him with a roadmap for how Pakistan cricket can go forward. It was a cricket-centric discussion on the problems Pakistan cricket is facing and what possible steps can be taken to improve the overall performance,” said Raja.

“I am glad he called me up and heard me out. He is concerned about the state of cricket overall and is open to discussion. Pakistan has been extremely inconsistent and, let’s be fair, that the ranking in each format reflects that Pakistan cannot make it into the final of tournaments,” he added.
Highlighting Pakistan team’s weakness, Raja said he strongly put his point forward and now the final call will be taken by the PM. “The only chance they have is to play the semi-final in T20 format while considering the ODI and Test format it’s hard for them to go past the pool stage. I have updated him on things on the cricketing front. We had a productive meeting and it is now his call on how to proceed,” the 59-year-old added.
With the T20 World Cup 2021 being just a couple of months away, Pakistan would be brainstorming to pick a strong squad. Moreover, big guns like England and New Zealand will tour Pakistan in 2021. Hence, the national team and officials have a job in hand. (CricTracker)