Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has been encouraged to step down by legendary captain Shahid Afridi. Shahid Afridi has emphasised that Naqvi cannot fulfil the responsibilities of cricket administration while also serving as the nation’s interior minister.
These statements were made by Shahid Afridi after the contentious Asia Cup.
Naqvi has held several prominent roles since assuming the role of PCB chairman in 2024. In addition to being the PCB’s leader, he is also the Interior Minister and was just named the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) president. Afridi has expressed concerns about his hectic schedule. Notably, the former all-rounder has already encouraged Naqvi to treat the PCB chairmanship as a full-time position after the 2025 Champions Trophy. He also discussed Naqvi’s dependence on advisors and his ignorance of cricket.
“My request or advice to Naqvi Saheb is that these are two very important posts, and they are big jobs that need time.” The PCB must be kept apart from the Interior Ministry since they are completely distinct. The decision should be made quickly because it would be a significant one. Pakistani cricket requires extra time and attention. Naqvi cannot be entirely dependent on advisors. He claims that he doesn’t know much about cricket, and these advisors aren’t helping him at all. Telecom Asia Sport cited Shahid Afridi as stating, “He needs to appoint good and competent advisers who know the game.”
Naqvi requests that Suryakumar Yadav personally pick up the Asia Cup trophy.
Naqvi received a lot of flak for his leadership during the Asia Cup. After India threatened to leave the competition and refused to shake hands with Pakistani players, he was accused of inciting needless drama. The consequences of this confrontation caused a postponement of a later match against the United Arab Emirates.
The final was the height of the debate. As president of the ACC, Naqvi refused to give the trophy to the Indian players when they refused to take it from him after India won the championship. Instead, the medals and trophy were taken from the podium by an ACC official. Naqvi allegedly demanded that Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav pick up the trophy from the ACC headquarters in Dubai, according to later reports.
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