"Incompetent, Illiterate": Shoaib Akhtar Tears Into Mohsin Naqvi After Pakistan's Defeat

India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup: Following India's 61-run dominating win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said the Suryakumar Yadav-led side was here to defend the crown. He blasted Pakistan's tame surrender. With the emphatic win over their arch-rivals in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash, India now leads 8-1. "We were nowhere in the match. The Shaheen played... he was bowling at 125 kmph. This is not the requirement of modern-day cricket. These are not the talents that will handle pressure. For the last 15-20 years, there has been no investment. The sad reality of the situation is that while we fought with India on the ground at one point, today we can't even dream of beating them," Shoaib Akhtar said on ABP News.

"One guy who does not know anything has become the Pakistan Cricket Board's chairman (Mohsin Naqvi). What can you do? How will the team run? You have made a superstar out of a player (Babar Azam) who cannot win you a game. The biggest crime in the world is to give a particular job to incompetent people," he added.

Akhtar further called Naqvi "incompetent and 'jaahil'", saying he isn't fit to be the chairman of the PCB.

Coming to the match, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first. The masterclass knock by Ishan Kishan (77 off 40) and crucial knocks from skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32 in 29 balls, with three fours) and Shivam Dube (27 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) took India to a competitive total of 175/7 on a tough pitch.

Ayub (3/25 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, while Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/31 in two overs), Usman Tariq (1/24 in four overs) and Agha (1/10 in two overs) were also among the wickets.

During the run-chase, Pakistan was off to a nightmarish start as Sahibzada Farhan fell for a four-ball duck to Hardik Pandya, with Rinku Singh taking a top-edge catch to remove him for a four-ball duck.

In the next over, Jasprit Bumrah trapped Saim Ayub lbw for just six, while he also removed skipper Salman Ali Agha for four. Pakistan was 13/3 in two overs.

Babar Azam started off his innings slowly, while Usman Khan counter-attacked with two successive boundaries against Axar Patel in the fifth over. But the spin all-rounder had the last laugh, removing Babar for a seven-ball five, sinking Pakistan to 34/4.

At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan was 71/4, with Usman (43*) and Shadab (12*) unbeaten. The partnership of 39 balls was broken by Axar as Ishan Kishan pulled off a brilliant stumping to remove Usman for a 34-ball 44, with six fours and a six. Pakistan was five down at 73 in 10.4 overs.

Mohammad Nawaz (4) was caught by Shivam Dube, with Kuldeep getting the sixth wicket, and Pakistan's score was just 78 in 11.4 overs.

Pakistan's downfall got even worse as Shadab (14) was dismissed by Tilak Varma, with Dube taking another catch. Pakistan was 78/7 in 12.1 overs.

Rinku's safe pair of hands gave Varun Chakravarthy his first wicket, removing Faheem Ashraf for a sluggish 14-ball 10.

Pakistan sank to 97/8 in 15.3 overs, and on the very next ball, Abrar Ahmed was trapped lbw for a golden duck. Pakistan was one wicket away from a humiliating loss.

Hardik completed the win by cleaning up Usman, bundling out Pakistan for 114 runs in 18 overs.

Axar Patel (2/29 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Hardik Pandya (2/16 in three overs), Jasprit Bumrah (2/17 in two overs) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/17 in three overs) also among the wickets.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Shoaib Akhtar Cricket