'He is going to destroy Pakistan cricket' - Tanvir Ahmed slams PCB chairman Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistani cricketer Tanvir Ahmed has given his take on Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja’s decision-making skills. Raja had recently made an announcement about the Pakistan Junior League, and Ahmed, unimpressed with the decision, feels this move might be terrible for the country’s cricket future.

Raja proposed the junior league in order to provide the budding cricketers with more opportunities. However, as per Ahmed, if the player is directly introduced to the T20 format of the game, without providing enough exposure to the longer format of the game, it might hamper their progress.

Ramiz Raja’s mentality will not only improve under-19 cricket: Tanvir Ahmed

“Instead of holding a Junior PSL, the chairman should have focused on organizing two-day or three-day tournaments. He is going to destroy Pakistan cricket with such decisions. The youngsters will think that they don’t need to play long-form cricket and instead focus on hitting sixes,” Ahmed was quoted by Samaa TV.

“This mentality will not only affect under-19 cricket but also under-13 cricket and their families due to the money involved. People all over the world are saying that T20 cricket has destroyed Test cricket but our chairman is trying to organize Junior PSL,” he added.

Criticizing Raja for his strategies regarding junior-level cricket, Ahmed took a dig at his decision to bring in drop-in pitches. “Every new chairman comes with a new logic which doesn’t help Pakistan cricket and the same goes with him [Ramiz Raja]. Instead of reviving departmental cricket, you brought up the idea of drop-in pitches which didn’t work out,” he stated.

Earlier this month, Salman Butt had also opposed the idea of the Pakistan Junior League saying that the young cricketers will not get the right amount of induction, and their skills and fitness will observe a downfall if put in to play the T20 format.

Notably, Raja was elected as PCB’s 36th chairman unanimously and unopposed in September 2021. In the Pakistan Junior League, six teams will compete in the 19-match competition at the Gaddafi Stadium from October 1 to 15, with players chosen through a drafting method and each franchise including a renowned player who will act as the team’s mentor or coach.