PCB chief Ramiz Raja clarifies on his angry reaction to an Indian journalist after the Asia Cup final

Pakistan Cricket Team faced an embarrassing loss at the hands of Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup on Sunday. The Sri Lankan team scripted an emphatic comeback in the tournament after losing their first game against Afghanistan and went on to be crowned champions.

The disappointing performance of Pakistan left their fans shocked as the star-studded line-up was outplayed by an inexperienced Sri Lankan side in two matches on the trot. After the match got over Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja was seen lashing out at an Indian journalist. The journalist asked him about Pakistan fans being upset with the team’s performance.

“You must be from India, you are very happy,” was the shocking response from the PCB Chief. He further went on to snatch the reporter’s phone but immediately returned it back to him. The clip of the incident went viral on social media as fans all around the world lambasted Raja for his mistreatment of the journalist.

In a fresh development, PCB Chief has given his clarification on the incident and claimed that such questions are intentionally asked to provoke the countrymen and aimed at extracting the wrong message.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘Fans Forum with Ramiz’ the PCB Chairman said, “Main apko batata hu. Unke jo questions the, jo line thi wo bilkul theek nahi the. Unka kehna ka matlab tha ki Pakistan ji janta khasi naraz hain team se. Toh maine bas unse yahi pucha ki aapko kaise pata ki sab log naraz hain team se. (The question he asked was inappropriate. He stated that the whole country is upset with the team. I simply asked him how he knew that?).”

Adding further, Ramiz Raja suggested that the intention of asking such a question is to convey the wrong message to all Pakistan cricket fans and provoke them.

Pakistan will next play against England in a seven-match T20I series at home. They will further play another T20I tri-series against New Zealand and Bangladesh. These two series will act as final preparation for Pakistan before the 20-20 World Cup.