India lose to Ireland: Mohsin Naqvi’s bizarre reason for Pak’s Test woes goes viral
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s attempt to defend Test cricket in the country has gone viral, but not quite for the reasons he might have hoped. Speaking after Pakistan’s disastrous start to their England series, Naqvi pointed to defeats suffered by some of the world’s strongest teams including India on their tour of Ireland in Juneas proof that even the best sides can fight. However, his choice of example immediately raised eyebrows.
“Let me ask you one thing: South Africa lost to Namibia and India lost to Ireland. Is cricket over there too?” Naqvi said in a video that went viral.
The comment came at a particularly curious time for Pakistan cricket. After England beat Pakistan in the first two Tests, the PCB itself responded with one of the most drastic mid-series overhauls in recent memory.
Such a foolish answer from Mohsin Naqvi
“South Africa lost to Namibia and India also lost to Ireland. It means their cricket is over.”
BTW India won 2 T20 WC, CT, Asia Cup, U19 WC, Women’s WC, Women’s U19 WC since Mohsin as PCB Chairman pic.twitter.com/FWRXoGytlg— Ajay Jadeja (@AjayJadeja171) September 3, 2026
Pakistan lost the opening Test by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley before suffering a 194 run defeat at Lord’s. England took an unassailable 2-0 lead and Pakistan failed to score 200 in any of their four innings.
The response was swift and dramatic. Seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, they were sent home before the third and final test. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from their posts. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke were called in to lead the Test side for the final match.
It was actually the PCB that hit the panic button.
That’s why Naqvi’s comparison to India’s defeat of Ireland was particularly striking. Instead of simply acknowledging the seriousness of Pakistan’s Test woes, the PCB chairman chose to point to the failures of other teams and ask if their cricket was also “over”.
Social media users were quick to pick apart the argument, with many calling it outlandish reasoning. The criticism was not necessarily that India or South Africa would never lose unexpectedly. They do. The question was whether the isolated turmoil could be compared to a Pakistan Test side that has suffered repeated problems and has now undergone a major overhaul mid-series.
However, Naqvi insisted that the changes were part of an attempt to improve the team rather than an admission that Pakistan cricket was in crisis.
“Yes, one thing is important: whoever we need here, we will definitely bring. If someone is not clicking or not performing, then what can we do? Every game and every series is important for us,” he said.
PAKISTAN WILL MAKE PROGRESS: NAQVI
He also defended the PCB’s wider record by pointing to Pakistan’s progress in white-ball formats.
“Yes, absolutely, what happened in the Test match cannot be called right. We lost those two matches but I believe God willing we will make progress in the coming days just like we did in ODIs and T20Is,” Naqvi said.
“I’ve never been afraid of criticism and I never will be. Those who say cricket has been destroyed since I came in, look at the order before we brought in our coaching staff. We were eighth in ODIs and now we’re fifth, we’ve jumped from ninth in T20Is to sixth.”
However, reality paints a stark picture. Pakistan have not reached the semi-finals of an ICC men’s cricket tournament since the 2022 T20 World Cup. In the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championships, Pakistan are rooted to the bottom with just two wins from eight matches.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
03 Sep 2026 15:51 IST