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'PCB chairman told me he doesn't know anything about cricket': Shahid Afridi opens Pakistan cricket's Pandora's box
Shahid Afridi said that the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told him that he doesn't “know anything about cricket.”
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has opened a Pandora's box regarding the state of cricket in the country, claiming that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi told him that he doesn't know "anything about cricket." The state of affairs within the Pakistan cricket ecosystem is being debated left, right and centre after the senior side crashed out of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 in the group stage.
The Mohammad Rizwan-led side failed to make it to the semi-finals after defeats against New Zealand and India. Pakistan's last group-stage match against Bangladesh was abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi; hence, the Green Shirts finished at the bottom of the group.
Everything from Aaqib Javed's coaching to his selection calls for the tournament is being criticized. For the uninitiated, Pakistan went in with just one frontline spinner (Abrar Ahmed) for the Champions Trophy, which Pakistan hosted.
Shahid Afridi has now taken a dig at PCB chairman Naqvi, saying he should surround himself with people who know about cricket rather than bureaucrats.
“I met the chairman sahab a few days ago in Lahore. The initiative about the grounds, the work done at the Gadaffi stadium, is pretty good and pretty beautiful. He has worked, and he wants to work further," Afridi said on Samaa TV.
"But he also says that he doesn’t know anything about cricket. When you don’t know cricket then you should work with good, technical people who have some connection with the sport," he added.
Over the last few years, Pakistan cricket has witnessed several changes in guards within the PCB. Several coaches have resigned, and captaincy has passed from one player to another.
What is their relation with cricket?
Shahid Afridi stated that the PCB's lack of seasoned professionals has led to a decline in the performance of the senior side. He also raised the need to strengthen Pakistan's domestic cricket structure.
“The faces we are seeing in the selection committee and directors, they don’t know cricket, they have all been bureaucrats. What is their relation with cricket? Why are they sitting in the selection committee? Why are they running the domestic cricket system?" asked Afridi.
"Everyone’s seeing the Pakistan team. You should strengthen the domestic cricket structure. If the guardian is good, the child will automatically be good," he added.
Mohsin Naqvi is the internal minister of the Pakistan government. He is also a former caretaker chief minister of Punjab and took over the role of PCB chairman last year.
Under Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan also crashed out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the group stage.
