Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has been criticized by a member of the production crew for rescheduling the three-match ODI series against the West Indies in Multan despite the city’s extreme heat.
Speaking to media in Multan ahead of the series, one of the members said “I don’t know why PCB took this risk. Putting players into play in such a weather is stupidity.”
The series was originally scheduled for November of last year, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 case surfacing in the visiting camp, which forced the boards to postpone the series.
As part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Super League, the PCB chairman directed that the series proceed as planned, despite the fact that Multan remains one of the hottest places in Pakistan during June and July.
He also stated that holding the series in hot weather poses a risk not only to the players but also to the other officials. From the production crew to the groundsmen seemed concerned about working in such hot temperatures.
“Its not only about players. There are a lot of other people like us involved in organizing a cricket series. Who will think about us? It’s too hard and risky to work in this weather,” he lamented.
The series was originally scheduled for Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but officials were forced to move it to Multan due to political instability caused by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-long Insaf’s march to the federal capital.