Ramiz’s mission Australia: Task to change Pakistan’s fate Down Under

Pakistan cricket remains a study of unpredictability over the years where it is hard to guess which team will show up on a given day.

It is that uncertainty that makes the Pakistan team a treat to watch for cricket lovers all over the world.

However, one thing that the Men-in-Green have stayed consistent with is their horrendous performances in Australia over the years.

Even though the team’s maiden and till now the only 50-over World Cup triumph came Down Under when Imran Khan, against all the odds, led the side to a famous win in 1992, but their overall record has been a story of failures after failures with no end in sight.

It is primarily for that reason winning in Australia became an obsession in Pakistan cricket where successive managements tried to break the code by deploying different methods, but without success.

The Green Caps’ worst record in nearly every format is in Australia where they looked like a team who are destined for a defeat every time they stepped onto the field of cricket.

Recently appointed chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja became the latest addition in the list of high-ranked officials who has his eyes set on guiding the team towards winning against the Kangaroos in their own backyard.

“I will not sit with comfort unless we beat Australia in Australia,” he said while talking to the media in Karachi on Wednesday. “Any team can be competitive in their home conditions, and we can do the same. But my administration’s main challenge is to ensure that when my team goes abroad, when they will face the likes of South Africa and Australia, the match shouldn’t end inside the first two days, that we stay competitive and that we beat them.”

He continued by saying: “That is our goal and every step we take will be heading towards that direction. We have recently agreed to have two drop-in pitches from Australia to make sure that when our players go there, they are already acclimatised with the conditions.”

Those comments have once again highlighted the importance of succeeding in Australia for the higherups in the PCB but the reality remains that Pakistan have last won a Test match Down Under nearly three decades back in December 1994.

Other important points from BoG meeting:

During the same press conference, Ramiz also highlighted the decisions taken in the 67th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the PCB where the focus was to establish a long-term strategy.

“Through strategic partnerships, the PCB will award 100 contracts to the most outstanding and bright cricketers under the ages of 11, 14, 16 and 19,” he said. “Under this programme, the talented young cricketers will receive a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month and they will also earn 100 per cent scholarship, which will provide them access to cost-free education at a leading local educational institution that, in turn, will help them become wholesome individuals.”

“Again, through a strategic partnership, the PCB will appoint highly qualified resident foreign coaches at the National High-Performance Centre. These coaches will work very closely with 100 teenage cricketers to nurture and develop them and prepare them for future events, including the U19 PSL, which is marked for October 2022. These coaches will also be available to assist and help elite and emerging cricketers,” he maintained.

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