Desperate Shoaib Akhtar changes tune after calling Mohsin Naqvi ‘jaahil’: He's the most powerful man but wrongly advised

Shoaib Akhtar backtracked, claiming his remarks had been misinterpreted and were not aimed at Naqvi.

Less than 24 hours after criticising Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi and calling him “incompetent” and “illiterate” on live television following Pakistan’s 61-run humiliation against India in the T20 World Cup, cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar changed his tune.

Shoaib Akhtar backtracked on his Mohsin Naqvi remark

Akhtar was visibly frustrated after Pakistan slumped to their eighth defeat in nine T20 World Cup meetings against India. Sunday’s result left the 2009 champions on the brink of yet another group-stage exit, prompting Akhtar to lash out during an interaction with an Indian TV channel. “The biggest crime in the world is giving an incompetent guy the biggest job. When an incompetent and jaahil [ignorant] person is given a big job, any sort of chaos and damage can happen,” Akhtar had ranted on Sunday after the match.

However, a day later, Akhtar backtracked, claiming his remarks had been misinterpreted and were not aimed at Naqvi.

“My comments were never aimed at Mohsin Naqvi. The remark about incompetence was not directed at him at all — it was meant for the top brass who run international cricket. Some Indian TV channels twisted my words,” Akhtar told Pakistani media outlet ARY News. “In the same programme, I even asked people not to say anything negative about Mohsin bhai, because I won’t tolerate that.”

Akhtar added that Naqvi is keen to reform Pakistan cricket but is falling short because he is not receiving the right guidance.

“Mohsin Naqvi is a good man and he wants to do good work. But he just doesn’t get the right advice. He is the most powerful man in Pakistan cricket, but he is not picking the right people to select the team,” he said.

Pakistan will face Namibia in their final group-stage match on Wednesday at the SSC Stadium in Colombo. Namibia defeated the USA and the Netherlands in their first two games before suffering a heavy loss to India. Pakistan must win to secure a place in the Super 8 stage.