Pakistan suffered a humiliating 61-run defeat to India at the ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday, which not only frustrated fans about also their fast bowling great, Shoaib Akhtar. Appearing on ABP News, the Rawalpindi Express made some harsh remarks that seemed to be directed towards Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi. However, what's interesting is that he then made a sharp u-turn from his previous statements not even 24 hours later, while appearing for an interview on a Pakistani news channel.
The last time Pakistan had beaten India was all the way back in 2022 during the Asia Cup. However, India have won on six consecutive occasions since then, which has attracted significant criticism towards their players and management.
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After Pakistan's 61-run loss to India at the T20 World Cup, Shoaib Akhtar said this in an exclusive interview on ABP News:
"If you make me the chairman of a channel, how would I know how to run it? Now there’s a person who doesn’t know, and he is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. So what can be done now? How will the team function like this?"
He also remarked that handing a big job to an incompetent and illiterate person is the biggest crime in the world.
Some time later, he appeared on Pakistani news channel ARY News, and switched from his stance:
"The words incompetent and illiterate that I used were not meant for Mohsin Naqvi bhai. It looked like I said those words for him. The incompetency topic I spoke about was from a broader perspective, that such a person can destroy any institution. My hint was not towards Mohsin Naqvi but the top brass that is running international cricket."
"In the same programme, I also said that we should not say wrong things about Mohsin Naqvi, he is a good guy. He wants to help Pakistan cricket but does not get the right advice," Akhtar added.
Pakistan have played all of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Sri Lanka, which is also where they faced India in the tournament on Sunday, February 15.
Their captain, Salman Ali Agha, had even won the toss, chose to bowl first in favorable conditions, but failed to stop India from posting a competitive total, that they then completely failed to chase down.
It is also worth noting that India are now 8-1 ahead in their head-to-head record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups alone, which goes to show the difference between the two sides on the big stage.
This appears to have triggered Shoaib Akhtar's inital remarks on PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.
