Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has disclosed that Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), informed him he didn't know "anything about cricket." This as per Afridi shows the depressing situation about cricket in Pakistan.
Pakistan recently hosted the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the first ICC event in the country since the 1996 World Cup. However, the event was hosted in a hybrid model after India refused to come to Pakistan citing security issues. India, instead, played all of its games including the knockout and final in Dubai.
Pakistan, the tournament's defending champions and hosts, were eliminated in the group round after losing every game. Since then, the customary blame game has been going on inside Pakistan's cricketing community.
While some have attributed the full blame to the players, others have criticized the selection procedure that led to the disaster.
Meanwhile, during a TV show, Shahid Afridi revealed PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi’s lack of cricketing knowledge. Afridi criticized Naqvi for associating himself with bureaucrats who know nothing about cricket.
"I met the chairman sahab a few days ago in Lahore. The initiative about the grounds, the work done at the Gaddafi stadium, is pretty good and pretty beautiful. He has worked, and he wants to work further.
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,” Afridi told Samaa TV.
"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?" questioned Afridi.
However, Afridi blamed Pakistan's failure to do well in major events on the country's weak local cricket structure.
"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 further explained.
Mohsin Naqvi, a former caretaker chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, joined PCB as incumbent chairman last year. He is also serving as interior minister of Pakistan since 11 March 2024.
