World Cup T20: India humbled Pakistan again
“The words ‘incompetent and jaahil (illiterate)’ that I used were not meant for Mohsin Naqvi bhai. It was as if I had said these words for him. The theme of incompetence I was talking about was from a broader perspective: that such a person can destroy any institution. My allusion was not directed at Mohsin Naqvi (he said that when he repeatedly groped on international television. I also said in the same show that we should not say bad things about Mohsin Naqvi, he is a good person, he wants to help Pakistan cricket but he is not getting the right advice), Akhtar explained.He added that his frustration with Naqvi was limited to the PCB chief’s sudden U-turn on the boycott against India in the T20 World Cup. “I’m angry with him for taking a stand but not sticking to it. The whole community was with him. He could have asked me to turn around,” he said.
What Shoaib Akhtar originally said on Mohsin Naqvi
Akhtar’s initial criticism was blunt. On ABP News, he questioned Naqvi’s suitability for the role of PCB chairman. “If you make me the chairman of the channel, how would I know how to run it? Now there’s a person who doesn’t know and he’s the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. So what can be done now? How will the team work like this?” he asked. “Do you know what the greatest crime in the world is? Giving a big job to an incompetent and illiterate person.”The former pacer also weighed in on the criticism surrounding Pakistan’s star players Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi following the defeat to India. “Shaheen is not fit. He is not able to bowl over 125 kmph. Secondly, Babar Azam will not reach unless you play him as an opener. He is useless in the middle order. This format is not made for him. Shadab is also an unusual choice, I don’t understand it. I don’t think we are compatible with India. They are playing us 50 years ahead of cricket.”He ended with an extensive assessment of Pakistan cricket. “It’s all our fault – me, the cricket board, the media, everyone. We picked the wrong people, made them stars. We didn’t invest in cricket infrastructure.”