'Can’t press a button and start playing aggressive like Australia' - PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja responds to harsh criticism

After a T20I series defeat at the hands of England, former cricketers including Shoaib Akhtar, Kamran Akmal among others took a dig at Pakistan and questioned the potential of the middle-order batters. The Men in Green lost the final two matches of the series and eventually conceded the series 4-3 and the manner in which they lost raises major concerns ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup. 

Other than Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, other batters failed to deliver on a consistent basis. Both batters emerged as the top two run-scorers in the T20I series but games in which they didn't score, the other batters failed to deliver. 

“It is very easy to say press a button and start playing aggressive like Australia and that you are still playing old-school cricket in modern times. The current team has a way to play and in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with it because their success rate is almost 80 per cent in 12 months. This team doesn't get influenced, there is clarity of roles, and they know how to win a match,” said Ramiz Raja in a video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Twitter.

“It was an amazing series. Other than one or two matches, I haven’t seen so many matches finishing in the last over or in the last minute. With that, you understand that the team has proper temperament. They fight till the end and are united. We even got the opportunity to test our bench strength,” he added.

With an honest intention, we are trying to reboot Pakistan cricket: Ramiz Raja

Time and again, the middle-order batters in the Pakistan team have failed to deal with pressure situations. Addressing the fans, Ramiz spoke about the process via which, the Pakistan Cricket Board is trying to bring in new players into the set-up. However, he believes that the process needs some time but it will enhance their cricket in the coming days.

“I want to tell the fans, who are the biggest stakeholders of our game that with an honest intention, we are trying to reboot (Pakistan) Cricket. Our team fought on every occasion on the field and never gave up. Two years ago, the raw talent you saw has got redefined and now the competition has gone up,” the former cricketer said.

“The observation of the supporters are correct. That’s why we are hosting junior leagues and organising a fest with the 100 best players. The purpose of doing so is to bring experienced horses (players) into the race in the next 3-4 years, who will be adventurous, play modern cricket,” said the 60-year-old.

Pakistan will next travel to New Zealand for a tri-series featuring Bangladesh and the host nation. Post that, they will play a couple of warm-up games against England and Afghanistan before taking on India in their first match of the T20 World Cup on October 23.