"Darkest Period In Our History": Mohammad Yousuf Tears Into PCB 'Politics', Targets Mohsin Naqvi

The Pakistan cricketing spectrum has gone into a complete meltdown ever since the team suffered a humbling 61-run defeat against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 match on Sunday. The result puts Pakistan's Super 8 qualification on the line, with the next match against Namibia proving to be a knockout, courtesy of their poor Net Run Rate. The match in Colombo on February 15 showed the entire cricket world the true gulf between India and Pakistan on the cricketing pitch, but a recovery isn't expected if 'political influence' isn't removed from the board, feels the country's cricketing legend Mohammad Yousuf.

In a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter), the Pakistan batting great said that the cricketing ecosystem in the country needs to move away from political influence and personal agendas if the sport is to thrive.

"Unless we remove political influence and personal agendas from Pakistan cricket, we cannot return to the team we once were. This is the darkest period in our cricketing history, and my heart bleeds for it. Incompetent individuals must be removed from office and from the team," Yousuf said, taking an indirect swipe at Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chief and also the country's Interior Minister.

Unless we remove political influence and personal agendas from Pakistan cricket, we cannot return to the team we once were. This is the darkest period in our cricketing history, and my heart bleeds for it. Incompetent individuals must be removed from office and from the team.

— Mohammad Yousaf (@yousaf1788) February 16, 2026

Since taking over the role of chairman in the Pakistan board, Naqvi has been at the centre of several 'politically influenced' decisions. His act of removing the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the podium after India's denial to receive it from his hands sparked a huge cricketing row. But, back home, Naqvi was honoured by the Pakistan government for his actions.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, Naqvi was the one who set up a meeting with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to discuss potential boycott of the India match in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

After a string of top-level meetings, which included certain ICC officials' travel to Lahore, the boycott decision was reversed. The incident proved Naqvi's preference between cricket and politics. Many feel that the boycott drama had a big role to play in Pakistan's humiliation at the hands of India in Colombo.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team Mohammad Yousuf T20 World Cup 2026 Pakistan Cricket Board Mohsin Naqvi Cricket