PCB threatens to take legal action against former chief Ramiz Raja’s comments, releases statement

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday threatened to take legal action against former PCB chief Ramiz Raja due to his outburst after getting removed from the cricket body’s top post. The Pakistani Board expressed disappointment over Raja’s statements and language used against the current chief Najam Sethi. The Board rejected Raja’s claims and termed his comments on travel expenses as “misleading and inaccurate”.

Last Thursday, Raja was removed as PCB chairman by the country’s government, which appointed a 14-member committee, headed by Najam Sethi, to run the affairs of the game for the next four months. Following his sacking, Raja alleged that he was not allowed to even take his belongings from the board office after the government suspended the constitution.

Raja made claims on his Youtube channel

Following his exit from the Board, Raja released a video on his Youtube channel on Monday. “Najam Sethi tweets at 2 in the night that Ramiz Raja is out. Is this respect for a former captain? I was not even allowed to go to the office and collect my belongings,” Ramiz said on his YouTube channel. “The morning after the announcement was made to remove me they were around 17 people running all over the PCB offices as if they owned it. It was as if I had committed some crime and I would take some incriminating evidence from my office. What tamasha is this? These people have just come to enjoy themselves and get the publicity. They know nothing about cricket,” Raja added.

He also spoke about the difference in expenses he incurred on the board as chairman and the amount Sethi had spent as chairman in the past. “These people know nothing about cricket, they have just come in for the glory and limelight. I am bitter and frustrated because I was not allowed to complete my three-year tenure and all my plans for the betterment of Pakistan cricket have been demolished just to accommodate one person.”

PCB release statement against Raja’s remarks

Sethi and the committee were stung by Ramiz’s remarks and have issued a statement, insisting that they reserved the right to take legal action against the former captain for his allegations. The statement said that Ramiz’s comparison of his and the current chairman’s expenses during his previous term is misleading and inaccurate as the circumstances are incomparable.

“Pakistan Super League 2016 to 2018 were held offshore, implying many visits to the UAE to organise the marquee tournament. However, no PSL allowances have ever been paid to current chairman Sethi and this information has been merely presented as a potential payable. In contrast, PSL 2022 was held under former chairman Mr. Raja and was staged only in Karachi and Lahore,” the PCB said in a statement

The country’s cricket board added, “Foreign tour expenses are high for current chairman Mr Sethi as, during his previous tenure, PSL and Pakistan’s home international matches were played outside Pakistan. Therefore, the current chairman was required to make frequent visits to the UAE for PSL and bilateral series and for related meetings. All travel expenses were approved by the appropriate authorities and were duly audited (internally and externally).”

Threatening to take legal action against Raja, PCB stated, “The PCB believes former Chairman Mr Raja’s comments are aimed at tarnishing and damaging the impeccable reputation of present Chairman Mr Sethi, adding it reserves it’s rights to pursue legal proceedings to protect and defend the image and credibility of its Chairman and the institution.”

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