Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has slammed the coverage of the ongoing three-match T20I series between Ireland and Pakistan in Dublin. However, he made a racist remark while criticising the Irish coverage and said that Pakistan is not some ‘African Country’ to deserve such bad coverage. Now he is also facing some backlash on social media for his poor choice of words.
Ramiz Raja on IRE vs PAK coverage
Ramiz Raja is extremely displeased with the lack of DRS and replays and said this should not be the case in a series featuring a team like Pakistan. Raja has said he is unable to follow or enjoy the action properly. He even said that India would not allow such a thing ever and PCB should look into it stating our respect is in our own hands.
"One thing which I don't like at all is the coverage of this match. It feels like a club game is being telecast. Only two cameras are there. There's no DRS, no replays, you don't get an idea of the boundary rope, you can't enjoy a good shot being played or good balls being bowled. This is extremely unfair to the Pakistan cricket product. A lot of people love Pakistan cricket. It has an aura around the world. And to present it like this is unfair to Pakistan cricket," Ramiz Raja said on YouTube.
"Someone should have figured it out earlier. If the coverage was going to be like this, whichever broadcasting company it was, should have taken the rights from Cricket Ireland. I know they have the rights, but it should have been taken away and the coverage should have been made much better for this series because this marks the beginning of our road to the World Cup. I can tell you this with certainty if India knew this situation, they would never have allowed such coverage. Because your honour is in your hands. So Pakistan's honour should also be in their hands. Through coverage like this, our cricket looks flat. And it is unfair," he added.
We are not an African country that the coverage for our games can be this poor. This series is not telecast in England. It's not available on Sky. Primarily because it is being covered like this. This is unfair to Pakistan," Ramiz Raja concluded.
Pakistan to face Ireland in series decider
Currently, the Pakistan vs Ireland series is leveled 1-1. The third and final T20I of the series will be the decider and both teams will try to win in order to get a big boost ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The hosts won the first game but the Pak side made a great comeback in the second match and picked up a crucial win.
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