Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency photo)
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar indirectly questioned the leadership in the Pakistan Cricket Board after Pakistan’s exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup despite signing off its Super 8 campaign with a win over Sri Lanka.Pakistan’s win in their final Group B match was not enough to overcome New Zealand’s superior net average, meaning they once again missed out on the semi-finals at a global event. This marked Pakistan’s fourth successive failure in ICC tournaments, following early exits from the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.
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Speaking on Tapmad, Akhtar did not mince his words while criticizing the team’s research centre.
He described the management as “ignorant” and pointed out that flawed selection calls over the past two weeks had cost Pakistan dearly.“The Pakistani administration seems completely ignorant. Today’s team selection only confirmed that the lineup chosen over the last 15 days was wrong. There was one obvious mistake – Saim Ayub should have played instead of Khawaja Navai. Saim could have contributed with the ball too,” Akhtar said.
He pointed out that Pakistan’s strong performance against Sri Lanka highlighted what was missing earlier in the tournament.“This selection showed that when you pick the right players for the right roles, they perform well. Fakhar Zaman is a natural opener, but he didn’t play earlier. Today, Farhan, Fakhar and Abrar all performed well. That tells you everything.”Akhtar then turned the spotlight towards PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, pointing out that while the chairman may have good intentions, the structure around him is letting the team down.“I have nothing against Mohsin Naqvi. From what I hear, he is a good person. He is one of the most powerful presidents in the history of Pakistani cricket. He has influence, resources and power. But if he cannot build a strong management structure, and the team fails to qualify in four consecutive tournaments, then there is something seriously wrong within the board.”“I understand that he may not be a cricket expert and really wants the team to do well.
But is he seeking the right advice? It doesn’t seem so. This is a request to Naqvi: People who advise you make you look bad. The selection committee is not doing you justice.“Maybe he wants success for Pakistan cricket, but the system around him is not helping. The real question is – who are these people? At this point, Naqvi remains Pakistan cricket’s last hope, but he needs the right support structure to turn things around.”
