PCB's outspoken critic Shoaib Akhtar now in line for major role after talks with Mohsin Naqvi: Report

Shoaib Akhtar once a vocal PCB critic, is now in line for a major role after talks with Mohsin Naqvi as Pakistan cricket braces for another shake-up at the top.

Shoaib Akhtar has seldom hesitated to tell the Pakistan Cricket Board what he believes it is doing wrong. From selection calls and administrative decisions to the direction of the national team, the former fast bowler has regularly used his public platform to question Pakistan cricket’s decision-makers. He could now find himself on the other side of that equation. Akhtar is in line for a major position within the PCB as chairman Mohsin Naqvi considers changes to the board’s cricketing structure following Pakistan’s disastrous tour of England, PTI reported. The precise nature of the prospective role has not yet been formally announced, but discussions between Akhtar and Naqvi are understood to have already taken place.

Shoaib Akhtar may be up for a major role in the Pakistan coaching set-up. (X Images)

According to the report, Akhtar, who lives in Islamabad, met Naqvi last week for extensive discussions about Pakistan cricket and the direction in which the board intends to take its national teams. A source close to the PCB said relations between the pair had improved significantly in recent months, particularly after Naqvi reached out to Akhtar following the death of the former pacer’s elder brother.

“Few weeks back, when Shoaib's elder brother passed away, Mohsin Naqvi had interacted with him closely and was there for him. This gesture impressed Shoaib a lot, who has been a vocal critic of the PCB and Pakistan cricket in the past in his media appearances,” the source said. That relationship appears to have subsequently developed into a wider cricketing dialogue. Naqvi is understood to have discussed his plans for Pakistan cricket with Akhtar and invited him to visit the National Cricket Academy and the team's training camps.

The discussions, however, appear to have gone beyond a ceremonial or advisory association. Akhtar is understood to have presented his own ideas about how Pakistan cricket should be rebuilt and the conditions under which he would be willing to take on a significant responsibility. “Shoaib is in line to get a major posting, but obviously, when he met with the Chairman, he had his own set of ideas and conditions through which he believes Pakistan cricket can be taken forward,” the source added.

PCB planning broader shake-up after England debacle

The prospective induction of Akhtar comes at a turbulent moment for Pakistan cricket. The men's team suffered a 3-0 Test series defeat in England, the first time Pakistan had been clean-swept in a Test series on English soil, intensifying scrutiny of both the playing group and the structure around it. The PCB is consequently considering changes across its cricketing think tank rather than limiting the response to the senior men's team. The board is also assessing coaching and consultancy options after the departures of fielding coach Shane McDermott and bowling coach Ashley Noffke.

There are also plans to appoint a permanent, long-term head coach for the Pakistan women's team, with the PCB concerned by results across several levels of the national set-up. “The board is working on some plans for the future, and there will be some changes in the cricket think tank soon because the Chairman has made it clear that he expects better results from the national men's, women's, shaheens and junior teams,” the source said.

For Akhtar, any formal appointment would represent a striking transition. He has spent years analysing Pakistan cricket from outside the system, frequently demanding sharper selection, stronger accountability and a more ambitious cricketing culture. The PCB may now be preparing to give one of its loudest critics an opportunity to influence those decisions from within.