Ramiz Raja joins panel of TV experts (7 Oct 1997)

07 October 1997

Ramiz Raja joins panel of TV experts

By Our Special Representative

RAWALPINDI, Oct 6: Former captain Ramiz Raja was quick to grab an opportunity of becoming a television commentator before deciding what he would be doing after he quits the game. Talking to Dawn, Raja said he would be deciding what he has to do in future in about two months time.

Raja is the only Pakistani expert on an international channel and is giving his views along with Geoffrey Boycott and Ravi Shastri. However, Raja strongly brushed aside claims that he had turned commentator and this decision of his was because he has hung his boots after almost one-and-a-half decade of top level cricket. "I have not yet decided to call it a day. I am presently doing commentary for TWI and will then see how things go. "I wanted to take time off and see where I stand. I also wanted to be assure whether I would be able to enjoy this game (as a cricketer) after say two months."

There were no hints whatsoever about Raja quitting the game. "No hints at all. The straight forward thing is that I am presently not enjoying the game as much as I was enjoying six or seven months back.

"I am a fighter and I will play the Patron's Trophy."

Raja said he always took the captaincy as bonus and in this background has left his future options open. "But if I stop enjoying anything then there should be a halt to it and that's why I have taken off from cricket." Raja said Pakistan had done a terrific thing by including new players in the team and wished them good luck. Raja hoped that if the boys delivered the goods, then there would be no need for the seniors. "But god forbid, if a situation arise where experience was required, I will then decide where I stand."

Raja said he was contacted by the cricket authorities before appointing Saeed Anwar as his successor. He said the officials were under pressure as defeat by India was difficult to digest. "I knew the pressure they (PCB) were in from every quarter and in the end it was my decision to let them know because I flew directly to Lahore from Toronto. My chief aim was to let the board know that they shouldn't take any pressure. "I asked them if they were really under pressure and wanted to make a change they were most welcome to do so," Raja pointed out. Raja emphasised that he was forced to take time off from cricket after the tour of Canada. "Whatever happened out there was demoralising and I had no option but to get away from everything." Raja said in Canada, his batsmen just didn't bat as well as they could have. He added that the team looked in bits and pieces. It was an inconsistent performance, Raja opined.

"Inzamam's incident didn't do any good to us because our concentration was diverted from the ground to that episode. Besides, Indians also played well as they were well equipped for those type of wickets while we had to switch to the spinners before 15 or 20 overs because we didn't have back ups like Saurav Ganguly."

Discussing the Inzamam episode, Raja said there was a guy calling Inzamam by different names for the last two or three hours. "And suddenly, he (Inzamam) ran and got into the stands without even letting me know what we was upto. I thought we was going to fine-leg to field because in the previous over he was fielding in the slips. "I have no idea how the bat came in the ground. It is just mind-boggling. "As events unfolded later, I came to know that Inzamam had asked for a cricket bat during the water break and what happened later left us in a state of shock," Raja said. Raja admitted that he heard the spectator calling Inzamam by different names. The former skipper added that he didn't fear that anything mischievous would happen as Inzamam was far away from the spectator. "Inzamam from the first over fielded in the slips until that incident," Raja claimed.

On the issue of Pakistan captain, Ramiz Raja felt that if the PCB want to have a make-shift arrangement then it should be well defined and everybody should know it. "I do feel that everybody should try out a new strategy and new policy and restrict to that. It is a make-shift arrangement in this Test as well."

Raja said in the team set-up, the coach had a lot to do. "I feel that Haroon Rasheed has been offered the job and he should be there dictating terms."Specially when Saeed Anwar has come in as make shift for Wasim Akram.

"While Saeed doesn't know about his tenure, Haroon knows that he is there for three years and has, therefore, been given a yard stick. Therefore, he should be really firm on how to go about Pakistan cricket," concluded Raja.

Source:: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)