{"id":2864,"date":"2026-02-17T23:20:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/?p=2864"},"modified":"2026-02-17T23:20:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:20:42","slug":"128459665-cms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/?p=2864","title":{"rendered":"Shoaib Akhtar takes 360-degree U-turn after calling Mohsin Naqvi &#8216;illiterate&#8217; | Cricket News &#8211; The Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"MwN2O\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"T22zO\">\n<section class=\"D3Wk1  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  VtlfQ\" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"D3Wk1\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"zPaFh\">\n<div class=\"wJnIp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-128460014,imgsize-1050161,width-400,resizemode-4\/shoaib-akhtar-and-mohsin-naqvi.jpg\" alt=\"Shoaib Akhtar takes 360-degree U-turn after calling Mohsin Naqvi 'illiterate'\" title=\"Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency Image)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cj2hz img_cptn\"><span title=\"Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency Image)\">Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency Image)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/shoaib-akhtar\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Shoaib Akhtar<\/a> made headlines again this week after appearing to backtrack on his scathing remarks about Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The former pacer, who had called Naqvi \u201cincompetent and illiterate\u201d during an appearance on an Indian news channel, attempted a delicate retraction less than 24 hours later on Pakistani television.<!-- --> His effort, however, came across as fumbling and awkward.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Speaking on ARY News, Akhtar insisted that his harsh words were aimed at the broader state of cricket administration in Pakistan, not Naqvi personally.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lOvcW vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"k7lcu\">\n<p>Inside Pakistan\u2019s camp What is the Naqvi problem<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>\u201cThe words \u2018incompetent and jaahil (illiterate)\u2019 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,\u201d Akhtar explained.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>He added that his frustration with Naqvi was limited to the PCB chief\u2019s sudden U-turn on the boycott stance against India in the T20 World Cup. \u201cI 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,\u201d he said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>What Shoaib Akhtar originally said on Mohsin Naqvi<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Akhtar\u2019s initial criticism had been blunt. On ABP News, he questioned Naqvi\u2019s suitability for the PCB chairman role. \u201cIf 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?\u201d he asked. \u201cDo you know what the biggest crime in the world is? Giving a big job to an incompetent and illiterate person.<!-- -->\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The former pacer also weighed in on the criticism surrounding Pakistan\u2019s star players <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/babar-azam\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Babar Azam<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/shaheen-afridi\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Shaheen Afridi<\/a> following the defeat to India. \u201cShaheen is not fit. He is not able to bowl over 125 kmph. Secondly, Babar Azam is not going to deliver until you play him as an opener. He is of no use in the middle order. This format is not made for him. Shadab is also an unusual choice, I do not understand it. I do not think we are compatible against India. They are playing a cricket that is 50 years ahead of us.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>He concluded with a sweeping assessment of Pakistan cricket. \u201cEveryone is to be blamed for this \u2013 myself, the cricket board, media, everyone. We picked the wrong people, made them stars. We did not invest in cricketing infrastructure.\u201d<\/div>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/cricket\/icc-mens-t20-world-cup\/shoaib-akhtar-takes-360-degree-u-turn-after-calling-mohsin-naqvi-illiterate\/articleshow\/128459665.cms\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shoaib Akhtar and Mohsin Naqvi (Agency Image) Shoaib Akhtar made headlines again this week after&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3199,1797,8163,3193,1123,1794,8162,6926,8161,1125],"class_list":["post-2864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-babar-azam","tag-mohsin-naqvi","tag-naqvi","tag-pakistan-cricket","tag-pakistan-cricket-board","tag-pcb","tag-pcb-chairman","tag-shaheen-afridi","tag-shoaib-akhtar","tag-t20-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.sheep-mine.ts.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}