‘Aap chairman hai, you have the authority..’: Shoaib Akhtar’s scathing criticism of Ramiz Raja after Pak loss

Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan’s legendary pace bowler was enraged with the team’s mindset, particularly in the chase, and responded against PCB chairman Ramiz Raja for his statements about the Rawalpindi pitch, which was ridiculed for its friendliness.

With four sessions and more than 100 overs remained in the opening Test match of the series against England on Monday, Pakistan failed to chase down 343 runs.

Akhtar praised England’s impressive win and aggressive style of cricket on his YouTube channel, praising head coach Brendon McCullum in particular.

“Pakistan did not even take advantage of the chance offered to them. England gave them a chance to save the Test match, but Pakistan did not take it. There is a conceptual distinction to be made. Would Pakistan have declared under the same conditions that England did yesterday? They would never have done such a thing. Brendon McCullum, their coach, has indicated that they will bat at a run a ball in Test cricket,” Akhtar said.

“It’s very disappointing. England made the effort to make this Test match interesting. They gave Pakistan a chance to avoid a draw. You (Pakistan) play well and win. 350 in this wicket is not a big deal. You have already scored 150. I did not see any intent or capability. No disrespect to the youngsters. Naseem Shah, you played well. But England deserve to win. No questions about it,” Akhtar added.

Akhtar also criticized Ramiz for the unresponsive Rawalpindi pitch, on which England scored a record 506 runs on the first day and had four centurions, as well as the statements he made about it in the aftermath of the criticism.

“According to the chairman, we could have made a better pitch, and England batted well. Brother, you are the chairman; you have the authority to make better pitches,” he concluded.

After seeing such a one-sided battle at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, spectators and former cricketers criticised the PCB and Raja for preparing a flat pitch for the historic Test match, which marked England’s first visit to Pakistan after 17 years. After being criticized for identical decks during the Australia Test series, Raja pledged to provide competitive pitches for the Test matches, but nothing changed.

READ| Watch: Babar Azam keeps composure after reporter’s question oh his dismissal in the 1st Test against England