Time to break the shackles of mediocrity: Ramiz Raja

TV pundit Ramiz Raja had strongly urged the Pakistan team to "play fearless" in the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka.

The former captain has expressed major expectation from the home side and stressed the players to "break the shackles of mediocrity", given the island nation's under-strength squad, as well as the appointment of head coach Misbah-ul-Haq. 

“I’m hoping to see a new approach from the side in terms of captaincy and skill set on offer otherwise there is no point of a think tank if we can’t break the shackles of mediocrity and move towards greatness," Raja said in his YouTube channel. 

"Greatness can only be achieved if we play fearless cricket and stamp our authority by winning matches with big margins,” he added.

Given Sri Lanka’s side, the commentator urged the board to capitalise on the opportunity and experiment with new players.

“Pakistan have a great opportunity to experiment and express themselves in an aggressive manner against second string Sri Lanka,” he said. 

“The batsman can freely play shots, they have not tried before, and bowlers can use different variety because there will hardly be any pressure.”

Revamp the entire system if no difference is made: Raja

The 57-year-old had recently taken a dig at the newly appointed head coach and said that the lack of new recruits were credited to Misbah’s zero-risk approach.

Added to this, the former cricketer-turned-commentator said that it was a sign of concern as it could only indicate to the failing cricket structure. 

“This was also an opportune moment to induct youngsters in the side but that was not the case,” he said. 

“If we can’t trust our young players to make a difference, then it only means that the academies have failed and we have to revamp the entire system.”

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will contest in three One Day Internationals (ODI) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20I), commencing from September 27. 

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