Tag: Ramiz Raja

LAHORE: The Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja opened up for the first time regarding the speculations of his sacking as the PCB Chairman.

Speaking at the press conference after the Board of Governing Meeting, Ramiz shunned the speculations regarding his removal from the chairmanship of the cricket board.

“It’s been two and a half months now so if it was inevitable, it would have happened by now,” Ramiz stated.

“We can’t live around speculations. I believe there is a need for continuity apart from political differences,” he maintained.

The PCB chairman further revealed that he has invited the PCB Patron-In-Chief PM Shehbaz Sharif to brief him about the work being done and urged that the political differences should be set aside for the betterment of the sport.

“See, our prime minister is our patron-in-chief, we have requested his time and if he meets us, we will tell him about our work. I think there is no need for ego here as, in the end, we all want upliftment of cricket,” Ramiz claimed.

“If there is anything in the constitution about the removal of PCB chairman every time, go ahead with it. Otherwise, fulfilling individual desires won’t work in favour of the game. The ball is in the court of him [PM Shahbaz],” Ramiz concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that since the ousting of the Imran Khan’s government, the rumours began to circulate that the newly-former government may sack the PCB Chairman from his office.

READ: Replacing team management before World Cup proved effective: Ramiz

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) governing body has approved an Rs15 billion annual budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, with an enhanced central contract, the creation of ‘Pakistan Cricket Foundation’, and the allocation of funds for stadium upgrades.

Speaking at a scheduled press conference a day after its 69th Board of Governors(BoG) meeting, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja announced that the Board had approved an operational activity-based annual budget of Rs15 billion for 2022-23.

According to the details released by PCB, approximately 78 percent of the budget will be allocated for cricket-related activities which include enhanced central contracts for men’s and women’s cricket players, domestic and international cricket competitions in the cricket season of 2022–2023 with more local tournaments and matches, the HBL Pakistan Super League 8, and the inaugural season of Pakistan Junior League.

Looking ahead to the Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the mega-events scheduled to be held in Pakistan, the BoG has approved an allocation of funds in addition to the operational budget for the up-gradation of stadiums which includes floodlights, replay screens, player dressing rooms, and new spectator chairs.

“We will build 70 rooms in Karachi and 30 rooms in the National High Performace Centre, besides 70 rooms in Multan as well”, claimed Ramiz.

The BoG also approved the establishment of the Pakistan Cricket Foundation for the welfare and well-being of retired cricketers, ground staff, and scorers. The PCB has initially allocated Rs100 million to the foundation while aiming to usher in more donors.

“Currently 243 cricketers are on PCB’s payroll. We are trying to give them respectable earning,” said the PCB chairman.

READ: PCB to offer separate Central Contracts for each format, Ramiz announces

LAHORE: In a first, Pakistan Cricket Board has announced to offer separate Central Contracts to players for white-ball and red-ball cricket.

Speaking at a scheduled press conference after the 69th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting held yesterday, the Chairman PCB, Ramiz Raja announced that the Board had made necessary changes in its Central Contract policy and had decided to offer players separate contracts for white-ball and red-ball cricket.

“The thought-process behind splitting red and white-ball contracts is to recognize the importance of white-ball cricket in the growth and development of the game,” said Ramiz.

The Chairman believed that the separation of central contract for white and red-ball specialists will help the management to develop a dedicated squad for each format, which would enable the team to engage with limited-overs and Test cricket simultaneously.

“We have four international events in the next 16 months, including two World Cups. This recognition of offering contracts to white-ball specialists will help us to eventually develop two separate squads, which could simultaneously be engaged in white and red-ball cricket. This will also allow us to have a bigger spread of talent to showcase to the world,” he claimed.

PCB has also increased the number of centrally contracted players from 20 to 33 while raising the match fees by 10 percent across all formats. The match fee for the non-playing member of the team has also been increased to 70 percent from 50 percent of the overall match fee.

The Board has also decided to introduce category “D” in its central contract structure,  which will comprise of emerging players, who are making a comeback or knocking at the doors of international cricket.

Meanwhile, the team captain will be compensated with a captaincy allowance for the additional responsibilities he has to undertake.

In order to reduce the workload of the elite players, PCB has decided to allocate an amount for current players to compensate for the losses they have to incur for not playing the franchise cricket.

“To discourage our elite players from signing up for additional off-season events, we have allocated a substantial pool of funds. This amount will be used to compensate them for their potential loss in earnings and will also manage their workload and ensure that they remain fully fit, fresh and ready when required on national duty,” said Ramiz.

Further, the central contracts for women players have also been revised as the number of centrally contracted players has been raised from 20 to 25, and a 15 percent increase in retainers across all categories, with a single contract concept.

Meanwhile, he also announced the establishment of the ‘Pakistan Cricket Foundation’, an initiative by the PCB for the welfare of retired cricketers, match officials, scorers, and ground staff with an allocation of Rs100 million as a donation.

Earlier, the Board of Governing (BoG) meeting of PCB was held yesterday at the National High-Performance Center (NHPC) under the presidency of the Chairman also attended by Chief Executive Officer Faisal Hasnain and Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer.

The high-profile meeting discussed the essential topics pertaining to Pakistani cricket and approved the annual budget for the financial year 2022-23.

READ: Ramiz Chairs as the 69th PCB BoG meeting gets underway at NHPC today 

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board has announced to lay out its annual budget for the next Financial year 2022-23 in its 69th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, scheduled here at the National High Performace Centre (NHPC) on Thursday.

According to PCB, the high-profile meeting will be chaired by the Chairman, Ramiz Raja, to discuss the annual budget of the Board along with other agenda items.

The meeting will be attended by PCB’s top brass including Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer, Cheif Financial Officer Javed Murtaza, and Cheif Executive Faisal Hasnain, who will also present the performance reports in the meeting.

Moreover, the approval of the age verification policy,  BoG Committee reports, and updates from all departments including cricket and commercial will also be discussed during the meeting.

The Chairman PCB will hold a press conference the next day to share the outcomes of the BoG meeting.

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LAHORE: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja announced rewards for the national blind and deaf cricket teams following their outstanding performance at the international level.

In the PCB General Body meeting, held at the National High-Performance Center, the governing body reviewed the annual report and audited reports of accounts of the PCB under Article 20 of PCB Constitution 2019.

The PCB Chairman Ramiz presided over the General Body meeting. Syed Sultan Shah and Irfan Mairaj, the chairs of the Pakistan Deaf Cricket Council and Pakistan Blind Cricket Council, respectively, were also present.

After analyzing the reports, Ramiz lauded the performance of both teams and rewarded them with prize money of 1 Million PKR each.

A report on Pakistan Cricket was also given to the General Body during the meeting. The men’s national cricket team’s current Test, ODI, and T20 international rankings were provided to the participants.

The attendees were also informed about the upcoming cricket assignments of Pakistan men’s and women’s cricket teams this year.

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LAHORE: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held a meeting with the British High Commissioner Christian Turner to discuss the England National Men’s Cricket Team’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan, later this year.

In a high-profile meeting held at the PCB headquarters here, England’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan came under the discussion and Ramiz shared his excitement about hosting the touring side after a gap of 16 years.

“We are ecstatic to host England for the upcoming series as they’ll be touring Pakistan twice this year,” Ramiz stated.

“English fans and cricket experts are also willing to visit Pakistan to experience thrilling cricket between the two teams,” Ramiz maintained.

The British High Commissioner Turner, on the other hand, also shared his excitement regarding the upcoming tour while also claiming that the game acts as the bridge between the two nations.

“I think Cricket is in our blood and we are passionate about it. This game acts as the connecting bridge between the two nations while we are also celebrating 75 years of our friendship,” Turner stated.

It is pertinent to mention here that England will Tour Pakistan in September this year to play a seven-match T20I series before travelling back. The side will again land in the country in December to lock horns with the Green Shirts for a three-match Test series.

READ: New Zealand take lead before England grapple to hang the second Test

KARACHI: Pakistan former Test player and legendary batter Javed Miandad came out in support of opening batter Shan Masood for being neglected by the selectors as he urged the media to highlight the issue.

Miandad in a media talk put his weight behind the left-handed batter who scored two double centuries in the recently concluded County Championship representing Derbyshire.

“If a player is performing consistently and still does not get selected, it is an injustice,” said Miandad while claiming that Masood should have been in the team.

“The media should also highlight Shan Masood’s case,” he added.

The former captain also extended his support for the incumbent Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Raja Raja, criticizing the government for asking him to leave the position.

” If Ramiz Raja does not have any issues he must continue with his job,” said Miandad.

“Ramiz Raja shouldn’t have been asked to resign,” he claimed. “Former cricketers are running the cricket boards all around the world.”

The legendary batter also expressed his views on the departmental structure of first-class cricket as he deemed the departmental teams vital for the financial well-being of local players.

” A significant number of players are dependent on departmental cricket for employment opportunities,” said Miandad.” Departmental cricket has produced a number of players for the national team.”

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LAHORE: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, confirmed that the cricket board has decided to increase the monthly stipend in the Central Contracts 2022-23.

The PCB Chairman Ramiz visited the National High-Performance Center (NHPC) today to meet the participating players and also informed the latter about the increase in the monthly stipends.

“We are increasing the monthly stipend under the Central Contracts 2022-23,” Ramiz informed the players.

“You are role models and we will always respect you,” Ramiz further told.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja interacts with the players taking part in the conditioning camp at NHPC, Lahore #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/gSR9HQWbQW

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) May 20, 2022

 

The former cricketer also advised the players to play fearless cricket while also emphasizing the importance of the upcoming season.

“Next season is very important, I want you to play fearless cricket. Skill and discipline are our benchmarks,” he stated.

Ramiz further informed the players regarding the construction of the new pitches in major cities like Karachi and Pakistan, while also claiming that he is always available for the players.

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KARACHI: The member of the leading political party Pakistan Muslim League (N), Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan has hinted at the removal of former cricketer Ramiz Raja from the position of the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), here on Wednesday.

Rana Mashhood, in a video statement, commented about Ramiz continuing as the PCB Chairman despite the ousting of the previous government following a no-confidence motion by the opposition parties, saying the former cricketer should have resigned gracefully.

“I think Ramiz Raja should have displayed grace. He calls himself an ethically strong person but the ethic was that he should have resigned after the ousting of their government,” Rana Mashhood said.

“I do not see his future as the chairman of the PCB in the coming days and a new PCB chairman will be appointed surely after things get back on track,” he added.

The member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab Mashhood also emphasized the importance of the revival of departmental cricket and is hopeful to impose the previously established structure.

“Departments use to cater for thousands of young athletes and we are the supporter of departmental sports. So, we have included the revival of departmental structure in our suggestions to the federal government,” he concluded.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed the six-month expenses of the chairman Ramiz Raja, here on Saturday.

The cricket board shared the document comprising the unaudited expenses availed by the chairman Ramiz from October 2021 to 22 March 2022.

As per the document, the PCB chairman spent around four million rupees over the course of six months, with more than two million spent on domestic travel.

The PCB Chairman also spent over half a million on vehicle allowance, over a hundred thousand on utility and mobile allowance, and 0.25 million on personal security guards and servants.

It is apropos to mention here that this is the first instance after September 2021, that the PCB has shared the expenditure details of Ramiz. Whereas, the expenses of the former PCB chairmen used to be updated on a regular basis.

READ: PCB calls sixty players to participate in conditioning camp