No problem if government wants to bring new PCB Chairman, says Moin Khan

Former captain and wicketkeeper Moin Khan, in an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, opened up about the political changes and its implications on the PCB along with his aspirations to work alongside the cricketing board and more.

“It is a given that the PCB chairman is selected based on Patron-in-Chief’s nomination. Being a cricketer, I think the new government should assess if Ramiz Raja himself wants to continue or not,” he said.

“Having said that, if they want to select a new candidate then that is completely within the constitution of the cricketing board and there should be no problem about it,” Moin added.

Moin Khan was one of many people to have voiced his opinion against abandoning departmental cricket under Imran Khan’s reign. Speaking about that, Moin Khan claimed that it is his plea to Shehbaz Sharif to restore departmental cricket.

“I still oppose the decision and this is still something I disagree with. Being a cricketer, seeing cricketers become unemployed is wrong. I still stand on the same opinion and I think cricketers should be employed through different departments,” he said.

“Cricket is perhaps the only sport remaining in Pakistan and the cricketing board should do everything in their power to cater to as many players as they possibly can; that can only be done through departmental cricket,” 

The 50-year-old further stated that one should stick to their roots based on which they are recognised and also touched upon his aspirations to get into PCB management.

“I am thankful to the Almighty that I am in a position to contribute. I already have an academy to help young cricketers on grassroot level. So, I am already involved in things which I am proud of. I have always maintained the position that whenever the board requires my services, I will be there,” he explained.

Moin Khan claimed that Pakistan cricket is still adopting negative mentality while approaching matches in Test format and remained highly critical.

“We are still stuck with a negative mindset; the pitches were completely dead and we did not utilise the home advantage. We relied on spinners but the ones that featured [against Australia] did not have a record of someone like Yasir Shah. We did not have world-class spinners and relying on them was not the right move,” Moin Khan slammed the conditions and the spinners.

Speaking about the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, Moin Khan remained hopeful regarding Pakistan’s progress.

“Our record in Australia is not particularly great but I am hopeful regarding our performance. We have a good bunch of players; our fast bowlers are better, our batting strength is commendable, and our spin department in limited-over is also a huge bonus. Our overall combination in T20 is extremely good,” said Moin.