“Aa gya swad, ab jaake youtube video bana” – Fans react as Ramiz Raja reportedly fired as PCB chief

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has reportedly been fired from his post. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved former journalist Najam Sethi’s appointment for the post. The development came as Babar Azam and Co. lost the recent Test series 3-0 against England at home.

It is worth mentioning that Raja was appointed as PCB chief in September 2021 by then-Prime Minister and former player Imran Khan. Under his regime, Pakistan reached the T20 World Cup semi-final and final but lost the Test series against England and Australia at home.

Fans came up with split reactions as Raja was removed as PCB chief.

Here’s a compilation of some of the best Twitter reactions:

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“Firstly, get the right people in, people with the right vision” – Salman Butt takes a dig at Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja’s exit comes a day after Salman Butt took a dig at the outgoing PCB chief, saying that Pakistan Cricket should bring the right people to change their future.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said:

“Firstly, get the right people in, people with the right vision.”

On the contrary, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria came out in support of Ramiz Raja, citing that the Pakistani media conspired against him. He believes Raja should have continued as PCB chief owing to his knowledge of the game.

He said on his YouTube channel:

“Ramiz bhai is intelligent. He knows and understands cricket. Give him some time, he’ll do a good job, and he’s already doing that. Pakistani media has a problem with him. They want to remove him."

He added:

"Aapki dukan nahi chal rahi hai kya Ramiz Raja bhai ke hone ke wajah se? (Are you unable to run your business because of Ramiz Raja?) Najam Sethi will come, and your work will resume again?”

Raja’s exit comes weeks after he threatened India with boycotting the 2023 50-over World Cup if they do not come to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup. This came after BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated that the latter tournament would be shifted to a neutral venue due to ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam and Co. will be in action in the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand. The opening Test will begin in Karachi on Monday, December 26. The hosts will look to win their first Test at home this year. They have only won one out of eight Tests in 2022, which came in Sri Lanka in July.