Shoaib Akhtar Takes U-Turn, Calls Mohsin Naqvi 'Good Man' After Earlier Criticism

Islamabad: Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar has taken a U-turn with his sharp criticism of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi within a day. Till yesterday he was very angry, but now he is saying that Mohsin Bhai is “a good man” and he wants to help Pakistan cricket. All this happened after the crushing 61-run defeat against India in Colombo on 15 February.

What did Shoaib say earlier?

Immediately after Pakistan's defeat, Shoaib lashed out at the PCB leadership on an Indian TV channel. He said that “incompetent and illiterate people” are sitting at the top, and this is the biggest mistake. Many people considered this a direct attack on Mohsin Naqvi, because he is the chairman of PCB. Shoaib said that cricket should not be run by people who do not understand cricket, and this is the main reason for the team's poor performance. Pakistan's batting collapsed completely after the defeat, and India made 175/7 and won by 61 runs.

Then why and how the U-turn?

The very next day, Shoaib gave clarification on Pakistani news show. He said, "My words were not on Mohsin Naqvi. The 'incompetent' and 'ignorant' comments were on the top brass running international cricket. Indian channels distorted my words." He also added that in the same program he had told people not to say anything negative about Mohsin Bhai, he is a good person and wants to make Pakistan cricket better. They are just not getting the right advice. Shoaib admitted that he is angry with Mohsin, but the reason is the U-turn of India Match Boycott, not the way PCB is run.

How has Mohsin Naqvi's PCB tenure been?

Mohsin Naqvi's time has been quite controversial. Refusal to hand over the Asia Cup trophy, threat of boycotting India matches before the T20 World Cup (which was later withdrawn), and political headlines – all these were overshadowed by cricket. There was a lot of drama before the match, but Pakistan could not do anything on the field. India now has a lead of 8-1 against Pakistan in T20.

What will happen to Pakistan now?

This defeat has put Pakistan's Super 8 qualification in trouble. Now they have to win the last group match against Namibia, otherwise they are out. Seeing Shoaib's U-turn, it seems that a lot still needs to be fixed in Pakistan cricket - from players to administration. But Shoaib has at least given some relief to Mohsin Naqvi by calling him “good guy”!