Pakistan's legendary speedster Shoaib Akhtar indirectly slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi after Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan are out of the marquee event despite their win against Sri Lanka in the last Super 8 clash because their net run rate didn’t improve enough to go past New Zealand in Group 2, which meant they missed out on a place in the semi-finals.
Shoaib Akhtar slammed Pakistan's management
Pakistan’s early exit has added to a worrying trend. The team has now failed to make the semi-finals in four straight ICC tournaments. They were knocked out in the league stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. Clearly upset with how things have unfolded, Akhtar first criticised the team management. He called them “clueless” and questioned their selection choices throughout the tournament.
“Pakistan’s management looks completely clueless. Today’s team selection only confirmed that the XI picked over the last 15 days was wrong. There was one clear error: Saim Ayub should have played instead of Khawaja Nafay. Saim could have contributed with the ball as well,” Akhtar said on Pakistani show Tapmad.
“This selection showed that when you pick the right players for the right roles, they perform. Fakhar Zaman is a natural opener, yet he wasn’t played earlier. Today, Farhan, Fakhar and Abrar all delivered. That tells you everything.”
Shoaib Akhtar slammed Mohsin Naqvi
After criticising the team management, Akhtar also spoke about Mohsin Naqvi. While he said he has nothing personal against the PCB chief and acknowledged that Naqvi seems serious about improving Pakistan cricket, he questioned whether the chairman has the right people around him.
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“I have nothing against Mohsin Naqvi. From what I hear, he is a good person. He is one of the most powerful chairmen in Pakistan’s cricket history. He has influence, resources and authority. But if he cannot build a strong management structure, and the team has failed to qualify in four consecutive tournaments, then something is seriously wrong within the board.
“I understand that he may not be a cricket expert and genuinely wants the team to do well. But is he seeking the right advice? It doesn’t appear so. This is a request to Naqvi: the people advising you are making you look bad. The selection committee is not doing you justice.
“He may want success for Pakistan cricket, but the system around him is not helping. The real question is, who are these people? At this stage, Naqvi remains Pakistan cricket’s last hope, but he needs the right support structure to turn things around.”