The words 'incompetent and illiterate' were not meant for Mohsin Naqvi bhai: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan pacer ‘The Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar took an embarrassing U-turn after taking a dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Mohsin Naqvi right after Pakistan’s 61-run defeat to their arch-rivals India on Sunday, February 15, in Colombo.

For the unversed, after India’s victory, Akhtar had called Naqvi "incompetent and illiterate". However, a few hours later, while attending another channel’s show, he took a U-turn, stating that his comments were not directed towards Naqvi “bhai”.

"The words 'incompetent and jaahil (illiterate)' that I used were not meant for Mohsin Naqvi bhai. It looked like I said those words for him. The incompetency topic I spoke about was from a broader perspective: that such a person can destroy any institution. My hint was not towards Mohsin Naqvi (said while fumbling repeatedly) but the top brass that is running international cricket. But the television channel twisted it. In the same programme, I also said that we should not say wrong things about Mohsin Naqvi, he is a good guy. He wants to help Pakistan cricket but does not get the right advice," Akhtar said on a local Pakistani show.

Furthermore, Akhtar also admitted that he is angry with Mohsin Naqvi for the U-turn he made on the boycott decision against India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and added that he is not angry with the way he is running the board.

"I am angry with him as he took a stand but did not stick with it. The entire community was with him. He could have asked me about taking the U-turn," Akhtar added.

Moving into the details of his previous comments, Akhtar took a dig at Naqvi after India’s comfortable victory over their arch-rivals, calling him an incompetent and illiterate. 

"If you make me the chairman of a channel, how would I know how to run it? Now there is a person who does not know, and he is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. So what can be done now? How will the team function like this? Do you know what the biggest crime in the world is? Giving a big job to an incompetent and illiterate person," Akhtar had stated after the match.

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