"He has betrayed Pakistani fans" - Danish Kaneria slams PCB chief Ramiz Raja for defending Rawalpindi wicket

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has lambasted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja for his explanation of the 'dead' Rawalpindi wicket after the first Test against Australia ended in a tame draw.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria remarked that the PCB chief was misguiding Pakistan cricket fans with his 'lame' excuses for preparing such a lifeless surface for the highly awaited clash. He said:

"What Ramiz Raja said today was nothing but a lame excuse and has misled Pakistani fans with the same. He has lied and has betrayed the fans. It's okay, he was busy in his son's wedding. He attended the wedding and then saw there was a lot of noise surrounding the dead wicket. The Test grew a lot of eyeballs as Australia was touring Pakistan after these many years, but what wicket did they produce for that?"

Meanwhile, in a video shared by PCB on social media, Raja highlighted how the home team was missing several of their key players for the Test. He revealed that there was no room for experimentation as they didn't have a full-strength squad for the clash.

"It was such a wicket that even Ramiz Raja would have scored runs on it" - Danish Kaneria

The former cricketer alleged that Raja did not want players from Sindh to come into the spotlight. Danish Kaneria accused him of not giving fair chances to players from Sindh and Karachi.

He said:

"Is Sindh not a part of Pakistan? Why this preferential treatment? I won't shy away from saying that Ramiz Raja has the fear in mind that a player from Sindh might reach the top. Stop being afraid, if you play such cricket then you won't reach anywhere,"

Furthermore, he labeled Babar Azam a 'weak' captain, claiming that he does not have the ability to lead the team in an aggressive fashion. The 41-year-old said that even Raja could have scored runs on the wicket that was used for the first Test.

"What were you afraid of? You had bowlers, but you didn't play them. You have a weak captain who cannot be aggressive while leading the side. It was such a wicket that even Ramiz Raja would have scored runs on it even at this age."

Australia and Pakistan will resume their one-upmanship battle on March 12, when they lock horns in the 2nd Test of the 3-match series. The encounter will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Watch Danish Kaneria's full video here: