Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja bashed current set-up led by Najam Sethi for bringing back Mickey Arthur in national team management despite the fact that his main focus remains with Derbyshire County Club.
On Wednesday, PCB confirmed the appointment of former coach as the team director. Mickey will remain with the team on ground partially.
"A first of its kind coach/director of cricket picked to run Pakistan cricket remotely, whose loyalty is first with his county job than Pakistan cricket. This is as crazy as a clown in a village circus," Raja told an Indian cricket website.
"A PCB chairman who doesn't understand cricket, probably was not even good enough to make it to the XI in a club game, heads a cabal of political, petty minded club runners for a management committee to run Pakistan cricket affairs, who are on a Rs 12 lakhs a month salary," he was quoted as saying.
Raja, who was sacked from PCB office by the current patron-in-chief of PCB Shehbaz Sharif, has often criticised Sethi and his men. The cricketer-turned-commentator was made the PCB chairman by former Premier of the country Imran Khan in 2021.
After the arrival of Mickey, the former cricketer has once again took a dig at Seth-led management committee.
As announced by PCB, Mickey will be involved in designing, formulating and overseeing strategies behind the Pakistan men’s team.
The 54-year-old will also be a part of the coaching staff for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, away tour to Australia and home series against the West Indies. He will also be present with the side for Pakistan’s matches against India in the ACC Asia Cup.
- Mickey Arthur