Ramiz Raja slams ‘mockery’ of Shan Masood after Test series win

(From left) Former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja, red ball captain Shan Masood and pacer Mohammad Amir. — Reuters/Instagram/@quetta.gladiators(From left) Former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja, red ball captain Shan Masood and pacer Mohammad Amir. — Reuters/Instagram/@quetta.gladiators

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Amir led netizens’ criticism of former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and commentator Ramiz Raja for allegedly mocking Red Ball captain Shan Masood in a post-match interview following Pakistan’s historic Test series win over England.

Pakistan claimed a hard-fought Test series win over England, sealing the series 2-1 with a decisive nine-wicket win in Rawalpindi a day ago.

Commentators Zainab Abbas and Ramiz praised Shan for leading the Men in Green to a big win on home soil three years later.

However, Rameez drew the ire of netizens when he mocked Shan for his six straight losses and mistakes which cricket fans perceived as an attempt to spoil the cricket team’s celebratory moments.

“For you personally, even as a signature, you must be very relieved because it’s been six losses in a row,” Zainab asked Shana.

“How did you achieve this, six defeats in a row?” Ramiz laughed out loud after asking the question before Shan answered Zainab.

The captain maintained his composure and replied: “It was a terrible nightmare. When you see successive lesions, it hurts. Because you see this is the Pakistan team.”

“Okay, then tell me, who came closer to you and patted you on the shoulder (to encourage you) after losing these games?” Ramiz asked another question.

The red ball captain said that there are a lot of people among the cricket fraternity, including people from the PCB and the team, who have given positive feedback.

“At the end of the day, I take it personally because it’s a responsibility and I want the team to win. Whether I got anything out of it or not, I don’t care. We needed this victory, and the nation needed this victory. . I’m glad about this.”

However, Ramiz seemed in no mood to stop his sarcastic questions and said: “No, but that’s the way it should be.”

He later inquired about how Shan controlled a particular shot, which led to his removal from matches. Shang answered him calmly, confirming that he intended to improve it.

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Amir also criticized Ramiz and Zainab Abbas for diverting their questions from the team’s historic win under Shan to six straight defeats under his leadership.

“You should celebrate winning the series and realize that the series-winning captain is sitting next to you,” Amir said in a video post on X, adding that the interviewers should have asked Shan about the win and his future plans, but instead they ridiculed him. his.

“You are intelligent people and you should behave accordingly,” the 32-year-old cricketer said, criticizing the hosts of the “ruined sport”. He went on to say that they should have given credit to him and the team after the win.

“I felt so sorry for Shan. Even if there was someone other than Shang sitting there as captain, I would feel the same.”

Facebook user Shehbaz Ali also criticized the former PCB chief, saying, “How can Rameez ask such meaningless questions to a winning captain? Enjoy your victory and learn to be respectful.”

“The clown needs to be removed from the panel,” wrote another user Muhammad Amir Khan, taking out his anger on Ramiz.

Netizen Umair Pirzada II commented, “Ramiz Raja laughs at his six defeats to Shan Masood but can’t slap himself for delivering even results in Pakistan during his tenure. A cheap man, the worst chairman of the PKB we’ve had in a long time.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also expressed disappointment over Ramiz’s mocking questions from Shan in an interview after Pakistan’s convincing series win.

According to reports, the PCB cannot take direct action against the commentator as he is handled by the broadcasters, but the board may prevent him from being included as a commentator in future home series.

Yesterday’s triumph marked only the second time Pakistan have come back to win a series after losing the first match, with the last instance dating back to their comeback win over Zimbabwe in 1995.

After a string of four winless home series, the win in Rawalpindi brought much-needed relief and celebration to the Pakistan cricket fraternity, ending a streak that had been going on since their last home series win over South Africa in early 2021.