The fallout from Pakistan’s disastrous 2026 T20 World Cup campaign has reached a boiling point, with veteran opening batter Ahmed Shehzad launching a blistering critique of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the board’s current leadership. Following Pakistan’s inability to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive tournament and a historic 1-2 series loss to Bangladesh, Shehzad argues that the national team has become a playground for a select clique of underperforming stars.
Pakistan’s recent slump reached a new nadir in Dhaka, where Bangladesh secured their first home series win against the visitors in 11 years. The tour highlighted systemic failures: a batting collapse for 114 in the opening ODI and a botched 291-run chase in the decider. For Shehzad, these aren’t just technical errors; they are the symptoms of a toxic star culture nurtured by the PCB at the expense of national pride.
Ahmed Shehzad takes aim at Mohsin Naqvi and PCB after Pakistan team’s slump
Shehzad’s primary grievance lies in the disproportionate power handed to a small group of players. He contends that the PCB has marketed certain individuals as global brands through the Pakistan Super League (PSL) over the last seven years, despite their failure to deliver on the international stage. According to Shehzad, these 6-8 boys and their agents have essentially hijacked the team’s selection and strategy.
“You provided all the sponsorships to those boys, endorsed them, and invested money in them. You gave them captaincies in the PSL, right? You made them the thumb of the Pakistan team. You handed over the entire Pakistan cricket team to those 6 boys and their agents. And what have they done now? The fire they have lit in the jungle, the fun and parties they have had, the pockets they have filled, the enjoyment they have had they haven’t given Pakistan any wins by doing so,” Shehzad remarked, pointing to the heavy financial investment and sponsorships poured into these specific athletes.
He accused this core group of prioritizing personal gain and “parties in the jungle” over trophies. The critique specifically stings as high-profile names like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan continue to struggle with consistency, leading to questions about whether the board is too fearful of its superstars to demand accountability.
Shehzad calls out the failure of the Naqvi regime
The most damning part of Shehzad’s outburst focused on the perceived impotence of Naqvi’s administration. He described the current PCB as the weakest he has seen in his lifetime, alleging that the board kneels before players instead of enforcing discipline or introducing fresh talent. This lack of institutional backbone, he argues, has allowed a culture of ego and blame games to flourish within the dressing room.
Despite the mounting losses, Shehzad notes that none of the senior players have taken responsibility, opting instead to spin narratives through media cycles.
“Whenever you talk about any player, they start spinning stories. I have never seen the Pakistan Cricket Board this weak in my life, as weak as this PCB is. They have power, right? But in their decision-making, they appear to be kneeling before their players. This PCB can’t do anything. The work they were supposed to do — bringing in new faces — they didn’t. What they do is, after every event, they try to pull a new trick, but the public has now caught their pattern,” he added, suggesting that the PCB’s habit of pulling new tricks after every tournament failure no longer fools the fans. By failing to integrate new faces and breaking the monopoly of the current core, the board has left Pakistan cricket in a state of stagnation.
As Pakistan prepare for a grueling three-Test series against England starting August 19, the pressure on Mohsin Naqvi to implement major surgery, a term he himself coined earlier has never been higher.
