Kamal Ghorui
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has indirectly questioned the leadership at the Pakistan Cricket Board after Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026 despite signing off their Super 8 campaign with a win over Sri Lanka.Pakistan’s victory in their final Group 2 fixture was not enough to overhaul New Zealand’s superior net run rate, which meant another semifinal miss at a global event. It marked Pakistan’s fourth straight failure at ICC tournaments, following early exits at the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Speaking on Tapmad, Akhtar did not mince words while criticising the team’s think tank. He labelled the management “clueless” and suggested that flawed selection calls over the past fortnight had cost Pakistan dearly.“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.He pointed out that Pakistan’s strong showing against Sri Lanka highlighted what had been missing earlier in the tournament.“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.”Akhtar then shifted the spotlight towards PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, suggesting that while the chief may have good intentions, the structure around him is failing the team.“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.”
