Pakistan vs England: The removal of Ramiz Raja and Babar Azam will have no impact on cricket in Pakistan
Over the weekend, strong rumours have been doing the rounds that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja and Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam are in danger of being removed from their respective positions.
Image credit: pia.images.co.uk Captain Babar Azam and Chief Ramiz Raja are in danger of being removed from their respective positionsIt is both surprisingly familiar and still somewhat shocking, especially if one knows the PCB's history.
It is an organization where internal politics is rife, mainly because the body is political – the Pakistan Prime Minister has a huge say in the board's running.
Therefore, it is not uncommon to see terms cut short in the PCB – especially when relating to any political turmoil in Pakistan.
But assuming the rumours are true, will it help anyone or anything in improving Pakistan cricket?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ramiz Raja is likely to be replaced from PCB chairman position. (According to Geo news)</p>— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImTanujSingh/status/1604107014669750272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In truth, a regime change will make little difference to the side. This rumour suddenly cropping up is due to Pakistan's poor showing at home against England in the three-Test series.
Pakistan have lost the series in two Tests and could well be in for a 3-0 washout if England continues to perform the way they have so far on tour.
But a regime change won't suddenly make Pakistan better as a Test nation. For one, there are no viable captaincy options in the team.
A forced change will only end up setting the team back further, which goes against the reason for the changes being made in the first place.
And it's hard to see how a change in chairman will fix the issues that ail Pakistan cricket – whether that be a lack of a robust domestic system, the need for a bigger talent pool and better player injury and workload management.
These are the type of issues that will only be fixed with long-term planning. And Raja, for all his blustering talk, has overseen some decent results for Pakistan as chairman.
Yet don't be surprised if the change takes place anyway. Rumours are rife that Najam Sethi, the former PCB chairman who resigned once Imran Khan came to power in Pakistan, is angling for another run as chairman.
This talk was fueled further by Sethi supposedly meeting with current PM Shahbaz Sharif at a function in Lahore.
It is also worth noting that the fact Raja stayed in power after the coming of a new government was in itself surprising.
In the past, PCB chairpersons were inexorably linked with the government and the coming in of a new regime in the Pakistani parliament meant a change in the PCB too.
Yet Raja managed to survive that – although for how long now remains debatable, given such rumours don't just come out of thin air.
So a regime change in the PCB and the Pakistan cricket team will serve no significant purpose – but don't be too surprised if it happens anyway.
After all, power and politics have more to do with it than any on-field performances.