Running cricket like football will be a disaster: Raja

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja is of the opinion that captains should have a greater say in how things are run as compared to the coaching staff.

While sharing his thoughts in a video on his official Youtube channel, Raja said that adopting football’s model in cricket, which gives more power to managers, will be a recipe for disaster.

“It’s fruitless to have such a massive coaching staff associated with the team because I think, just like cricket back in the day, the role of captain is more important than the coaches,” said Raja. “We should not dilute a captain’s authority by giving more power to coaches.”

“Running cricket like football will be a disaster because there the role of manager is more important that the captain because he calls all the shots. But if you try to apply the same in cricket, it will only lead to confusion within the side,” he added.     

READ MORE: Raja against Misbah’s appointment as head coach

Raja, who was part of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup winning side, was also against paying coaches more than the players.

“I also don’t understand why coaches are paid more than the players because their role is limited to nets and the dressing room,” he said. “But, on the other hand, it’s the team that goes out on the field to win matches.”

The 57-year-old also stressed on importance of having top quality coaches at grass root level.

“There is little point in appointing a great player as the coach of a side when you have not done your homework at lower levels,” said Raja. “Good administrators always place great emphasis on having top quality coaches at grass root level inorder to ensure that a player’s skillset is fine-tuned before they enter the international fray.”

He added: “You cannot change someone’s batting or bowling style when he starts playing international cricket because that is only possible at the initial stages of a player’s cricket career. This is precisely the reason why you need top-notch coaches at junior levels so that cricketers are nurtured in the best possible manner. A cricketer should play for the national side as finished articles and must not require extensive coaching inorder to cope with the dynamics of modern-day cricket.”