Najam Sethi replaced former cricketer Ramiz Raja as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, reorganising the sport in the nation. Additionally, the head selector Mohammad Wasim was fired, and former all-rounder Shahid Afridi was appointed to fill the position temporarily. The adjustments were made as a result of Pakistan’s subpar performances in the home Test series against England, where the team suffered a 0-3 clean sweep loss. In the T20 World Cup final last month, England under Jos Buttler defeated Pakistan.
Following the adjustments, a number of cricketers, both current and past, spoke out against Ramiz Raja for the decisions he made as PCB chairman. Wahab Riaz, a prominent speedster from Pakistan, debuted on how he was treated by Ramiz during this time. “I was talking to one of the board members and he said he was happy that Ramiz bhai was going. So, the people who worked under you were not happy with you. I had messaged Ramiz bhai 4-5 times during his tenure, I said I’m waiting for your message and your call. He didn’t reply me back. Why? I’m a present cricketer, I didn’t take retirement,” Wahab revealed as he talked about his struggle during Ramiz’s tenure on Samaa TV.
Wahab went on to say that any cricketer older than 30 was considered “unfit” to play for Pakistan, and the left-arm bowler criticised former selector Wasim for his remarks during Pakistan’s appearances in various events. “Anyone who was above 30 was deemed unfit to play. They said that it could hurt unity of the team or the performances of the team. Who has performed from the team that they chose? I don’t think any player has got as many chances as those under Ramiz bhai. We didn’t get more than 2 games. And after all that, the chief selector comes and says, ‘this team has given you a lot of happiness’. What’s this? Eid?” said Wahab.
