Ramiz Raja sacked as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Najam Sethi replaces him: Reports

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has reportedly been sacked from his position and Najam Sethi is expected to take his place as the next chief. According to reports, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday approved the appointment of Sethi as the next chairman of the country's apex cricketing body. This comes a day after Pakistan lost a three-match home Test series against England. 

Raja, who took over as the 35th Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board in September 2021, was the fourth Test cricketer to become the PCB chief. He was appointed by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. After Raja took over the job, the Pakistan men's team showed a lot of promise in white-ball cricket as they reached the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 and Asia Cup 2022, and qualified to play the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2021. 

However, the Pakistan team lost two back-to-back home Test series against Australia and England during the same period. They also suffered a T20I series loss against England before the T20 World Cup 2022. After Pakistan lost the Test series against Australia and England, the Ramiz Raja-led PCB management was criticised heavily for not preparing pitches for the contest. Raja was at the receiving end since he was in charge of the board. 

It has been learnt that a lobby of dissatisfied board members has initiated a campaign against Raja in order to get him removed as the PCB chairman. In 2018, when Imran Khan won the elections with a majority of seats, Najam Seth quit as PCB chairman because of past differences.

Image: AP