Impossible right now but we are not in hurry: PCB chief Ramiz Raja on bilateral cricket with India
Lahore, Sep 13: Newly-elected Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja on Monday said resumption of bilateral assignments with India is "impossible right now" and he is "not in a hurry" for it either as his focus is solely on his country's domestic circuit at this point.
The 59-year-old, who formally took over on Monday after being elected unanimously, also acknowledged that being chairman of the PCB is one of the toughest jobs in cricket.
"It is a very big challenge and a lot of boxes had to be ticked before the prime minister (Imran Khan) decided to give me this tough job," he said in a press conference here.
Asked about the possibility of revival of bilateral series between Pakistan and India, Raja said, "Impossible right now..."
"...because the sporting model has been spoiled by politics and right now it is a status quo and we are not in a hurry on this issue because we have to focus on our domestic and local cricket," he added.
He also expressed his displeasure over the development that there would be no Decision Review System in the upcoming Pakistan-New Zealand white-ball series in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
"Yes there is no doubt that this DRS issue reflects a mess and I will look into this matter," he said.
Raja expressed his reservations over the standard of coaching in the country and said there was a dire need to improve the local infrastructure in the country.
When asked whether he would allow the board CEO, Wasim Khan, to carry on, Raja made it clear that he would not discuss internal matters of the body in public.
However, he claimed that if it came down to proper accountability 90 per cent of the functionaries deserved to be sacked from the board.
Raja was also asked about the India-Pakistan match in the coming T20 World Cup in Dubai. The game is due on October 24.
"It is a show stopper and when I met with the Pakistan team players I told them I want the tables to be turned this time and the team must be 100 percent operational for the match and to do well in it," he said.
The new PCB Chairman also said that he wants the national team to play fearless cricket.
"We must be prepared to face problems and also lose matches but I have told the players they shouldn't worry about being secure about their places in the team and play fearless cricket.
"I know we will face more failures than success when we go on this path but we have to do it if we are to become relevant in world cricket. Because this is a process and we need to change the mindset of our players as well."
Raja is Pakistan's 18th Test and 12th ODI captain, and played 255 international matches in which he scored 8,674 runs in the period from 1984 to 1997.
He has previously served the PCB as its Chief Executive from 2003-2004 and has represented Pakistan on the ICC Chief Executives' Committee and presently sits on the MCC World Cricket Committee.
After retirement he has been a successful broadcaster.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
