Legendary Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has shared his first reaction after former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja was announced the new chairperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday. Nominated by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the 1992 World Cup winner with the Green Army has been unanimously elected as the chairman of the apex Pakistani cricket board ahead of the ICC World T20. 

By penning a three-year deal, Raja has succeeded Ehsan Mani who had earlier stepped down from the premier post in August. Akhtar, who has been a staunch critic of the PCB and its members, spoke at length about Raja’s recent speech at the headquarters of the apex cricket board. Akhtar observed that Raja ‘sounded a bit confused’ when he delivered his speech on his first day as the newly appointed chairman at the PCB office. 

Roped in for a discussion on the cricket show Game On Hai, Akhtar requested Ramiz to not sack Babar Azam from captaincy. “I felt he sounded a bit confused while delivering his speech and touching on a few topics. He wants Babar to emulate Imran Khan and then he also wants to keep a check on Babar for his moves and scrutinize him that won’t make him a fearless skipper,” Akhtar was quoted as saying. 

Raja had earlier worked with the Pakistani cricket board as its chief executive from 2003 to 2004. “From what I’ve seen Ramiz bhai will be hard on Babar Azam and will try to toughen him up. But it’s my humble request that please don’t remove him from captaincy,” Akhtar said. Azam will lead Pakistan in the upcoming edition of the ICC World T20.

Former Pakistani pacer Akhtar had earlier slammed PCB over the apex board’s recent squad announcement for the T20 World Cup. “Ramiz Bhai means good for Pakistan cricket but he needs to be calmer. Giving the media a tit-for-tat for criticism on his role is really not a good idea,” Akhtar added.