Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi has defended the country’s struggling cricket team amid mounting criticism, pointing to India’s unexpected defeat to Ireland and South Africa’s loss to Namibia as examples of top teams suffering shock results.
Pakistan’s recent performances have intensified scrutiny, particularly after a disappointing England tour where the team suffered a heavy defeat. In response, the PCB made major changes, sending seven players home midway through the tour and removing members of the coaching staff, including former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul.
Naqvi acknowledged that Pakistan cricket is going through a difficult period but argued that unexpected defeats are part of the sport. He questioned whether criticism should be so severe when other major cricketing nations have also suffered surprising losses.
“South Africa lost to Namibia, and India lost to Ireland. Has cricket ended there as well?” Naqvi said in a video that has gone viral on social media.
He added that the PCB would continue making changes wherever necessary, stressing that every match and series remains important. According to Naqvi, players who are not performing or failing to find their rhythm could be replaced as the board looks to rebuild the team.
Naqvi also spoke about Pakistan captain Salman Agha’s recent struggles with form. Despite describing Agha as a “brilliant player”, he admitted that the batter has not been able to perform at his best in recent matches.
He clarified that the board’s intention was not simply to remove players but to make changes when performances demanded it.
Meanwhile, Naqvi pushed back against claims that Pakistan cricket has deteriorated under his leadership. He acknowledged that the team’s two recent Test defeats were disappointing but highlighted improvements in the limited-overs formats.
According to Naqvi, Pakistan’s ODI ranking has improved from eighth to fifth, while the team’s T20I ranking has moved from ninth to sixth since the current coaching set-up was introduced.
“I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be,” Naqvi said, arguing that the rankings should be compared with where Pakistan stood before the current coaching team took charge.
The PCB chief maintained that Pakistan can recover from its current struggles and make progress in the coming days. His comments come at a time when the board is under increasing pressure to address inconsistent performances, frequent personnel changes and concerns over the team’s overall direction.
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