PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said empowering skipper Babar Azam and instilling a fearless approach has helped Pakistan cap off a successful two-month tour of the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh.
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PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said that empowering skipper Babar Azam and instilling a fearless approach helped Pakistan complete a successful two-month tour of the UAE and Bangladesh. Pakistan won eight of their nine T20Is, including all of their group matches at the ICC T20 World Cup, as well as two Tests in Bangladesh.
“I want to emphasise on the fact that leadership matters. When you empower a leader and give him confidence then he starts to own everything; from decisions, team, performances to disasters. He becomes brave! His position is stable and he gets clarity,” Raja told PCB digital.
“I told Babar Azam and the team that not to worry about results, especially before the India match. As I had said ‘I want to fix Pakistan cricket’s GPS’, it meant empowering the captain and instilling fearless cricket, which is why you are seeing a positive change in the team’s outlook,” he added.
The loss after eight games in the T20Is came against Australia in the T20 World Cup semifinals, while wins in the two Tests gave Pakistan 24 crucial ICC World Test Championship points.
“The Pakistan team has displayed wonderful cricket in Bangladesh, and I want to congratulate them for that,” Raja continued.
“In terms of cricket, Bangladesh is a tough destination, because they curate pitches on which they nullify and neutralise big sides. They have firm grip on the spin department and they also play it very well.”
“We must appreciate Pakistan for not losing the focus after the T20 World Cup and for their swift shift from the T20 to Test format. In the end, the results were outstanding. The dressing room atmosphere is good and everyone is playing for Pakistan in this side,” the PCB chairman added.
Raja also said that the Pakistan men’s cricket team was becoming more consistent.
“This is what Pakistan’s cricket is; they create drama, they have unlimited potential, but they only lack consistency. But, now, we are seeing them becoming consistent…We have strong and challenging series coming up,” he said.
“I welcome West Indies to Pakistan, we have great form in T20Is, and are a mid-tier team in the ODIs as we are ranked fifth. As a mid-tier team, you can do a lot of experimentation. And after the HBL PSL, we have Australia coming,” Raja concluded.
