"Ramiz Raja did not want to work with me and Waqar," says Misbah-ul-Haq

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Former captain of Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq revealed that the current chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja did not want to work with him and Waqar Younis which eventually led to their resignation as coaches prior to the ICC 2022 T20 World Cup.

Sharing his opinion in an interview with Voice of America, Misbah did not hold back and spoke his mind despite the repercussions.

"Ramiz bhai came up with his own vision, so we decided to step down with respect," Misbah said during the interview.

"There wasn't any difference between Ramiz Bhai and us," said Misbah, who stepped down alongside Waqar Younis from his post in 2021 prior to the home tour of New Zealand, which was canceled due to security reasons.

"See, we were a part of previous management who brought us with a vision, and we worked together. Ramiz Bhai came up with his own vision. He didn't want to work with us, so we thought to resign," Misbah added. 

The former right-handed batter gave his views on the PCB chairman's performance and believed that he can understand better being a former cricketer himself.

"I think Ramiz bhai knows the problems of cricketers. He understands Pakistan cricket being a part of it for so many years. Who can do a better job than him at PCB's office," Misbah stated.

"From pitches to financial aspects of players, Ramiz Bhai knows everything so well, and he can take things forward. Also, he has done commentary for many years, so it is helpful for him to build relations with other countries," He added.

Ramiz Raja took over the responsibility of PCB chairman in 2021 after Ehsan Mani denied an extension to his tenure. There were several changes seen in the management soon after Ramiz resumed the chairman's responsibilities. 

The first major change started from the resignations of Misbah and Waqar. Misbah also commented on the behavior of the pitches during the ongoing historic series between Pakistan and Australia.

"Pakistani pitches have remained the same over the years. I believe the weather is quite influential on the pitches here. But, it is not something new," Misbah stated. 

"Pindi Stadium's wicket can be made either pacy or batting-friendly. You can't make a spin-friendly wicket there. In Karachi, I was expecting a result, but Australia played very well to outclass

Pakistan in the first innings. Though Pakistan made a comeback in the fourth innings, Australia was brilliant throughout,

"Home teams make pitches favorable to their strength. Every country does that," Misbah concluded. 

It must be noted here that Misbah's performance as a head coach was not impressive as the team dropped to the seventh spot from the number one ranking in the T20s. Pakistan faced more losses than victories in Tests and had a mixed record of 4-4 in ODI's under Misbah.

The infamous whitewash against Sri Lanka came under Misbah as well, and the two humiliating defeats against Zimbabwe, one each in T20 and ODI, were also under Misbah's tenure.