Pakistan, despite defeating Sri Lanka, was knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026.
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar stated that if the Men in Green have failed to qualify for the knockouts of four consecutive multi-nation tournaments, something is very wrong in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), taking a veiled dig at PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.
Akhtar’s words came after Pakistan was knocked out of the race for semis in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan needed to defeat Sri Lanka by either 64 runs or chase the target in 13.4 overs to qualify for the semis with a better net run rate than New Zealand.
Sahibzada Farhan’s 100 and Fakhar Zaman’s 84 helped Pakistan post 212/8 in 20 overs after they were asked to bat first by Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, who won the toss. Pakistan bowlers kept Sri Lanka batters in check, but Pavan Rathnayke’s 58 and Shanaka’s brilliant 78* in 31 balls took them past the 147-run mark, knocking Pakistan out of the T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka finished with 207/6, losing the game to Pakistan by only 5 runs in a brilliant performance at home.
Akhtar initially attacked the Pakistan team management, calling them "clueless" over their selection choices, after the team failed to advance to the final four in four consecutive ICC tournaments, including league-stage exits at the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“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.
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 said on the Pakistani show Tapmad.
After that, Akhtar focused on Naqvi, indirectly blaming the PCB chief for the ongoing shortcomings at ICC events.
The former pacer questioned whether the chairman has surrounded himself with the correct advisors, even if he acknowledged that Naqvi seems dedicated to rebuilding Pakistan's standing in international cricket and has the power and resources to bring about change.
“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,” Akhtar added.
“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,” Akhtar concluded.
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