Ramiz Raja forgets he is PCB chief; announces ECB chief’s resignation like journalist

Former Pakistan batter Ramiz Raja may have been elevated to the post of Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman recently but hasn’t stopped being a commentator. Old habits die hard, as Ramiz on Thursday (October 7) “erroneously” made a tweet highlighting the development of ECB chief offering his resignation as if he is on-air in the […]
 

Former Pakistan batter Ramiz Raja may have been elevated to the post of Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman recently but hasn’t stopped being a commentator.

Old habits die hard, as Ramiz on Thursday (October 7) “erroneously” made a tweet highlighting the development of ECB chief offering his resignation as if he is on-air in the comm box or a journalist responsible for breaking the news.

Many from the cricket fraternity reacted to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Ian Watmore’s decision to step down from his post within a year into his term. But nobody hogged the limelight for it like Ramiz did when he tweeted: “Breaking: ECB chief has resigned.”

 

Journalists, media houses and even fans talked about Watmore’s decision to quit his job but an announcement tweet from the chairman of another country’s cricket board left everyone shocked and in splits. Ramiz’s tweet evoked laughter on Twitter and he was trolled for it too. The ex-cricketer turned administrator then quickly deleted his post and made another tweet where he apologised for his mistake.

Also Read: How Pakistan Can You Really Be?

Ramiz Raja recently took over the PCB reigns.

Ramiz Raja issues apology for “erroneously” tweeting on ECB chief’s resignation

In another tweet, Ramiz Raja mentioned, “the earlier tweet was erroneously put on my Twitter account. Apologies.”

Notably, Ramiz has been even more active on social media, in particular Twitter, since the start of his PCB chairman term than he was when he was only doing commentary for cricket matches.

Ramiz has publicly tweeted on various activities related to Pakistan cricket rather than keeping them hid behind the four walls. The 59-year-old was vocal in his expression of disappointment and despair when New Zealand’s white-ball team controversially cancelled their tour of Pakistan on security grounds, followed by the abandonment of England’s trip.

Ramiz has been conveying messages to the Pakistan team as well through his tweets and videos over the official PCB Twitter handle, urging them to be the best version of themselves and raise their brand value so that teams line up to play them home and away.

But Watmore’s decision to quit the ECB chairman’s post has indeed come as a shock. He was not even a year into his term but has chosen not to continue. Reports are that Watmore lost the trust of various county bosses and even those within the ECB board after a few tough weeks, starting with India’s withdrawal to play the fifth and final Test of the summer in Manchester.

Following the contentious Indian decision, the ECB board under Watmore opted out of the tour of Pakistan citing concerns on the physical and mental being of players despite no change in security advice from the British High Commission. Facing backlash from various sections for that call, Watmore’s ECB regime then failed to come to a proper agreement regarding the domestic schedule for the next few summers.

On his part, however, Whatmore said he is leaving his job because of its perks within a pandemic engulfed environment.

“It is with regret that I step down as Chair of the ECB, but I do so in mindfulness of my own wellbeing and that of the game which I love,” he said in an ECB media release.

“I was appointed to the post in a pre-pandemic era, but Covid has meant the role and its demands on time are dramatically different to all our original expectations, which has taken a personal toll on me.”