Mohsin Naqvi’s neck on the line after Pakistan lose to India; ‘upset’ Asim Munir messages PM Shehbaz Sharif: Report

Pakistan's field marshal Asim Munir is reportedly unhappy with the team's loss against India in the T20 World Cup 2026.

The top officials within Pakistan are not pleased with how its cricket team performed against arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group A fixture on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The 61-run defeat has left even field marshal Asim Munir fuming and “upset”. Suryakumar Yadav's India managed to get the better of Pakistan without breaking a sweat on Sunday, registering a comprehensive victory to seal a place in the Super 8s. Heading into the fixture, all the chatter was about how Pakistan had the best chance of defeating India; however, the action on the 22 yards proved once again that the difference between the two teams is chalk and cheese in terms of quality.

Mohsin Naqvi and Shehbaz Sharif (Mohsin Naqvi - X)

According to a News18 report, Pakistan's top military official, Munir, is not impressed with the cricket team's performance against India. The report claimed that the army leadership in Pakistan viewed the match result as more than just a cricket disappointment. There is a perception that the team was not fully prepared for the contest, and this assessment hasn't gone down well with Munir.

The report further stated that Munir conveyed his concerns to the Pakistan PM, Shehbaz Sharif, through the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary. The message reportedly highlights the PCB's mishandling of cricket matters, ranging from team preparation issues to unnecessarily combative public statements.

As a result, Naqvi's future as PCB chief has come under scrutiny. According to the report, insiders within the Pakistan government aren't ruling out the possibility of replacing Naqvi to ease tensions.

Munir's equation with Naqvi

Earlier, the Government of Pakistan had announced the boycott of the India game. However, a U-turn came about eight days later, after the ICC announced that Bangladesh would not be sanctioned for skipping the T20 World Cup and not travelling to India.

However, during the stand-off between the ICC and PCB, Naqvi struck a defiant note when asked about the possibility of being sanctioned if Pakistan didn't play against India. During his response, he invoked Munir, declaring that neither he nor the Government of Pakistan were intimidated, saying, “Everyone knows our Field Marshal Asir Munir."

The News18 report claimed that Naqvi's reference, made without prior military clearance, has not gone down well in Rawalpindi. Munir was not happy after being drawn into a matter which was clearly cricketing and administrative.

The unauthorised use of the army chief's name in the sporting context is being viewed as an overreach in Pakistan's political structure, where the military has significant influence over civilian affairs.

Speaking of Naqvi, he was also in attendance for the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. However, he left midway after seeing Pakistan's horrendous batting. Earlier, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar had also hit out at Naqvi, labelling him “incompetent" and “jaahil" (ignorant).

“Now, one guy who does not know anything has become the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairman. How will the team run now? You’ve made him a superstar — he can’t win a single match… The biggest crime in the world is to give a big job to an incompetent and ignorant person," Akhtar said on an Indian TV channel.