"He doesn’t know anything about cricket" - Former Pakistan cricketer's shocking statement on PCB Chairman after Champions Trophy 2025 debacle

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, acknowledged his lack of knowledge about the sport in a conversation with him. Afridi's remarks come after Pakistan endured another disastrous run in the recently concluded 2025 Champions Trophy.

Despite hosting the tournament, the Men in Green finished at the bottom of Group A with crushing defeats in both their completed games against New Zealand and India. It was Pakistan's third consecutive first-round exit in an ICC event, following dismal runs in the 2023 ODI and 2024 T20 World Cups.

Speaking about his recent meeting with Mohsin Naqvi on Samaa TV, Afridi said (via News18):

"I met the chairman sahab a few days ago in Lahore. The initiative about the grounds, the work done at the Gadaffi stadium, is pretty good and pretty beautiful. He has worked and he wants to work further. But he also says that he doesn’t know anything about cricket. When you don’t know cricket then you should work with good, technical people who have some connection with the sport."

He added:

"The faces we are seeing in the selection committee and directors, they don’t know cricket, they have all been bureaucrats. What is their relation with cricket? Why are they sitting in the selection committee? Why are they running the domestic cricket system? Everyone’s seeing the Pakistan team, you should strengthen the domestic cricket structure. If the guardian is good, the child will automatically be good."

Naqvi took over as the PCB Chairman in the early stages of 2024 after the side's tumultuous run in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the tour of Australia. However, the results across formats have continued to go downhill for Pakistan since.

"Sir, I don’t need a job from you" - Shahid Afridi

In the same interview, Shahid Afridi further opened up about confirming his readiness to help the Pakistan players to Mohsin Naqvi should the latter require his services. Afridi is Pakistan's fourth all-time wicket-taker across formats with 541 scalps, including 10 five-wicket hauls.

The former all-rounder played a massive role in Pakistan winning the 2009 T20 World Cup in England.

"He (Naqvi) said we are talking about it. I told him, ‘Sir, I don’t need a job from you, I don’t want a contract for myself but if you need me anytime… there’s no other place where we can change the mindset than in grasroot, through 16, 17, 18-year-old cricketers'," said Afridi.

Pakistan's next assignment will be the white-ball tour to New Zealand, where they will play five T20Is and three ODIs, starting March 16.