Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan captain, was elected unanimously and unopposed as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, for a three-year-term, in a Special Meeting on Monday (September 13).
The meeting was presided by the PCB Election Commissioner, Mr Justice (retd) Sheikh Azmat Saeed. Raja was nominated for the position by Imran Khan, the patron-in-chief of the board.
The 1992-world cup winner now becomes the fourth international cricketer to head the PCB after Abdul Hafeez Kardar (1972-1977), Javed Burki (1994-1995) and Ijaz Butt (2008-2011).
Addressing the BoG following his election, Raja said: “I am thankful to all of you for electing me as the PCB Chairman and look forward to working with you to ensure Pakistan cricket continues to thrive and grow stronger, both on and off-the-field.
“One of my key focuses will be to help introduce in the Pakistan men’s cricket team the same culture, mind-set, attitude and approach that once made Pakistan one of the most feared cricket playing nations. As an organisation, we all need to get behind the national team and provide them the desired assistance and support so that they can produce that brand of cricket, which the fans also expect from them each time they step on to the field of play.
“Obviously, as a former cricketer, my other priority will be to look into the welfare of our past and present cricketers. The game has and will always be about the cricketers and, as such, they deserve more recognition and respect from their parent institution.”
Raja represented Pakistan in 255 international matches, from 1984 to 1997, scoring 8,674 runs. In 2003-04, he had also served as the CEO of the board under the chairmanship of Shahryar Khan.
