The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) underwent a series of changes last week when Ramiz Raja was sacked as the chairman of the board, with Najam Sethi taking over as the chief of a 14-member managing committee for four months. In addition, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi was also brought in as an interim chief selector, with fellow ex-players Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum joining the panel.
Following the changes, Ramiz Raja went ballistic over the manner in which he was sacked and made allegations that he wasn't even allowed to gather his belongings from his office. However, in an interview with Samaa TV, the reporter conducting the chat asked Ramiz that there has been significant criticism of the former PCB chairman as well, as many have referred to the unceremonious departure of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis under Ramiz's tenure.
Also read: India's 20-man World Cup shortlist: A look at the probable names who may have made the initial cut
Misbah (head coach) and Waqar (bowling coach) had stepped down from the role merely days before the T20 World Cup in 2021; however, Ramiz replied that the changes were needed at the time and that it was his “right” to take the decision.
“They received their full payments for two years. They were given full respect. As a chairman, it was my right to dismiss them. Even now, they are talking about removing Saqlain Mushtaq and replacing him with Mickey Arthur. I made contracts in such a way that I didn't want the board to be left with a coaching setup for three years,” Ramiz said.
{{/usCountry}}“They received their full payments for two years. They were given full respect. As a chairman, it was my right to dismiss them. Even now, they are talking about removing Saqlain Mushtaq and replacing him with Mickey Arthur. I made contracts in such a way that I didn't want the board to be left with a coaching setup for three years,” Ramiz said.
{{/usCountry}}Ramiz further stated that he had realised that the changes were needed when he was doing commentary on Pakistan games.
"We had yearly contracts. They (Misbah and Waqar) would've left in January/February anyway. We brought a new management. It wasn't easy for me. I've played with Waqar, I talked to him in detail. The CEO talked to Misbah. It obviously didn't look good that the change took place with a week or 10 days before the T20 World Cup. But I had an idea that we could only go to a certain extent with them.
“When I used to do commentary, I realised that a change was necessary,” said the former PCB chief.