'Mohsin a good man': Shoaib Akhtar makes U-turn after lashing out at PCB chief

Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar backtracked on his criticism of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, only a day after his statements on a news channel went viral.

The former pacer had termed Naqvi as “incompetent and illiterate” after Pakistan slumped to a 61-run defeat against India in Colombo on Sunday in their T20 World Cup fixture.

However, on Tuesday, Akhtar clarified on ARY News that his comments were not personally targeted at Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan.

“The words 'incompetent and jaahil (illiterate)' that I used were not meant for Mohsin Naqvi bhai… My hint was not towards Mohsin Naqvi but the top brass that is running international cricket. The television channel twisted it,” Akhtar said.

He added that Naqvi is a “good guy” who wants to help Pakistan cricket but does not always get the right advice.

 “In the same programme, I even asked people not to say anything negative about Mohsin bhai, because I won’t tolerate that.”

The former cricketer also said he was frustrated with Naqvi over the reversal of the team's decision to boycott the match against India.

“I am angry with him as he took a stand but did not stick with it. The entire community was with him,” he explained.

On Sunday, Akhtar had said, “The biggest crime in the world is giving an incompetent guy the biggest job. When an incompetent and jaahil [ignorant] person is given a big job, any sort of chaos and damage can happen.”

Akhtar was also outspoken on his country's players, saying Babar Azam is not suited to the middle order in T20s and that Shaheen Afridi appears unfit to bowl at full pace. Further, he also questioned Shadab Khan's selection and that Pakistan’s cricketing infrastructure and talent development have been neglected.

Akhtar's U-turn comes amid scrutiny of the Pakistan cricket team after a one-sided defeat to India, extending India’s head-to-head ICC T20 World Cup dominance to 8-1.

The build-up was marred by off-field drama, including a brief boycott threat that was later withdrawn after ICC intervention.

In their last first-round match, Pakistan face Namibia on Wednesday in Colombo. Namibia is yet to win a game in the tournament, while Pakistan must win to secure a place in the Super 8 stage ahead of the USA.