PCB chief Ramiz Raja defends himself after fiery interaction with Indian journalist, says question was 'provocative'

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja defended himself following his confrontation with an Indian journalist in Dubai that led to a major controversy and became a big talking point after the Asia Cup. Raja was exiting the Dubai International Cricket Stadium following Pakistan’s 23-run loss to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final on Sunday, 11 September when he was quizzed by journalists about his team’s defeat in the marquee clash. **Watch: Ramiz Raja snatches Indian reporter's phone after Pakistan's Asia Cup defeat** ‘Rambo’ was particularly unhappy with a question posed by an Indian scribe on whether the entire nation of Pakistan would be unhappy after the defeat. Not only did Raja provide an ill-tempered reply, but he went so far as to attempt to snatch the journalists’ mobile phone out of his hand.

When asked about the incident by an Indian viewer during a live session on his YouTube show Fans Forum with Ramiz on Friday, Raja described the question as “provocative”. “His question wasn’t appropriate. He asked if the entire country was unhappy (after the defeat). To which I asked how would he know if the entire nation was unhappy with the team’s performance, especially if he’s sitting 2,000 miles away. These questions are provocative. “But anyway, it was an incident and that’s behind us now,” the former Pakistan batter said. Pakistan suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Sri Lanka inside three days after strong performances against Hong Kong and India and a narrow win over Afghanistan. They had reduced the Lankans to 58/5 after opting to bowl in the final before Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga’s rescue act helped them set a challenging target of 171. Pakistan in reply weren’t able to dictate terms against the Sri Lankan bowlers despite a solid third-wicket stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed, and the batting order eventually crumbled once the asking rate got too high. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.