Former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi for the current state of the national cricket team. His words from Adiala Jail - the Central Jail in Rawalpindi, came after Pakistan’s maiden Test defeat to Bangladesh.

Imran did not mince words when he stated that the loss to Bangladesh in a Test match in Rawalpindi was "embarrassing" and accused the Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of "destroying" the sport in the country.  

Speaking to reporters from jail, Imran Khan cited a spate of dismal results by Pakistan's senior national men's team in recent years and blamed them on the current administration.

"Cricket is the only sport the entire nation watches with great interest on TV, but even that has been destroyed by powerful quarters who brought in an unqualified, favored official to maintain their control," Imran Khan said, as quoted by his X account.

"For the first time, we (Pakistan) didn’t make it to the top four in the World Cup or the top eight in T20. And yesterday, we faced an embarrassing defeat against Bangladesh, setting a new low. Just two-and-a-half years ago, this team had defeated India by 10 wickets. What has happened in these two-and-a-half years that we lost to Bangladesh by 10 wickets? The blame for all of this collapse falls on one institution," he added.

Imran Khan, who guided Pakistan to their first and only ODI World Cup victory in 1992, accused Naqvi of corruption. The PCB chairman, who gained leadership of the board in February 2024, is also Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister.

Pakistan was defeated by Bangladesh by 10 wickets, a first-ever such defeat in Tests for Pakistan at home.

Naqvi himself addressed the press on Monday and questioned the depth of the talent pool in Pakistan, saying there are no good alternatives to underperforming players in the team.

"I spoke of surgery because we need to fix our problems. But when we look at how to resolve them, we don't have any solid data or player pool which we can draw from. The whole system was a mess," he said.

The second Test will begin in Rawalpindi on August 30.