Ramiz Raja who was Former Pakistan cricket board chairman protects his post-match remarks to Shan Masood after Pakistan’s 2-1 Test series win over England. Raja clarifies his purpose was to explore how the team overcame recent struggles, not to belittle their achievement. Acknowledging to criticism, he highlights the impact of social media misinterpretations and asserts his respect for Masood’s captaincy.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has addressed the controversy surrounding his post-match comments to Test team captain Shan Masood after Pakistan’s 2-1 Test series win over England.
Raja’s remarks, specially his question about Pakistan six consecutive losses, sparked criticism from fans and former players, including pacer Mohammad Amir, who called for respect and professionalism in his behavior.
The 62-year-old sparked controversy by making fun of skipper Shan Masood after Pakistan’s series win, asking, “Aapne 6 losses in a row kaise achieve kiya?” (How did you achieve six losses in a row?) instead of celebrating the victory.
Raja, talking on his YouTube channel, defended his line of questioning, stating that his intention was not to undermine the team’s achievement but to explore how they overcame recent struggles.
Raja said “I asked a couple of questions, and my goal was not to belittle anyone or cast Pakistan’s victory in a negative light. As a commentator, the more Pakistan wins, the more opportunities open up for all of us in the cricketing ecosystem,”
He released the backlash as part of the social media landscape, telling, “Pakistan Zinda hi social media pe hai” (Pakistan lives on social media).
He expressed disappointment with how people misinterpret his comments, adding, “If I lived my life based on social media narratives, I wouldn’t be in this field. There are many uninformed opinions from people who haven’t played cricket but act like experts.”
Raja also marked that he did not intend to question Shan Masood’s captaincy and expressed disbelief at how quickly the conversation twisted into controversy.
Ramiz Raja argued ” When Bangladesh won 2-0, I didn’t ask for anyone to be removed. Why would I question Shan’s captaincy after a series win?”