After Pakistan’s 61-run defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2026, Shoaib Akhtar lashed out at PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi. He blamed poor leadership and wrong selection for the team’s humiliating defeat, describing Naqvi as “incompetent” and “ignorant”.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has lashed out at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Mohsin Naqvi after the ‘Men in Green”s humiliating 61-run defeat at the hands of Team India in the one-sided T20 World Cup 2026 match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15.
Chasing a target of 176, Pakistan crumbled under pressure and were all out for 114 in 18 overs. The Pakistani team looked completely helpless in front of India’s brilliant bowling. Usman Khan was the top scorer for Pakistan with 44 runs in 34 balls, while the rest of the batsmen, especially the middle order, could not do much in the run chase after initial setbacks in the powerplay.
For India, Varun Chakravarthy (2/17), Axar Patel (2/29), Hardik Pandya (2/16), and Jasprit Bumrah (2/17) together took eight wickets, keeping Pakistan under constant pressure as India secured a one-sided win.
‘A person who does not know cricket was made the chairman’
Shoaib Akhtar has often been openly critical of the surprising selections and leadership of the Pakistan cricket team and the Pakistan Cricket Board. After Pakistan’s humiliating defeat to Team India, the former fast bowler left no stone unturned in his criticism and accused the PCB of appointing a chairman who has no understanding of cricket.
Speaking on ABP News after Pakistan’s defeat, Akhtar criticized the PCB leadership. He said the board has appointed an inexperienced chairman and also indirectly took a dig at Babar Azam for failing to perform in high-pressure matches. He further said that poor leadership and unfit selection directly harm the overall performance of the team.
Akhtar said, “A person does not know that he is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. What can he do? How will the team run? You are telling a person that you have made him a superstar, but he cannot win a single match.”
He further said, “You have made him a star who cannot bowl 10 overs. You can’t do that. If you make a star like that and pick him, you will have the same problem.”
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Mohsin Naqvi has been in the news for all the wrong reasons since last year, especially for his controversial posts mocking the Indian Armed Forces and his refusal to hand over the Asia Cup trophy to Team India in Dubai. He was also instrumental in Team India’s threat to boycott the match, which was later withdrawn after the intervention of the ICC, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).
‘Incompetent and ignorant person’
Speaking further on Pakistan’s debacle and the PCB leadership, Shoaib Akhtar warned that appointing an ‘unqualified’ and ‘ignorant’ person at the top of the board is the biggest mistake, as his wrong decisions can damage institutions, weaken governance, and ultimately ruin the country.
Akhtar said, “Do you know what is the biggest crime in the world? The biggest crime in the world is that you give a big job to an unqualified person.”
He further said, “When you give a big job to an incompetent and ignorant person, he will ruin the country. He will ruin the country by any means.”
Under the leadership of PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan has not won a single major trophy, including the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025, where Pakistan had an early exit from the tournament. Apart from this, there is also the controversial Asia Cup 2025 final, where India retained the title and refused to take the trophy from them, due to which Pakistan could not win a single title during their tenure. Meanwhile, to qualify for the Super 8, Pakistan will have to win their last group match against Namibia with a better net run rate (NRR) than Netherlands and USA.