‘Unreasonable’ to say cricket in Pakistan has finished: PCB chief Naqvi

'Unreasonable' to say cricket in Pakistan has finished: PCB chief Naqvi.

Key points

• Dawn Sport Published September 3, 2026 Updated September 3, 2026 12: 12pm.
• The Pakistan cricket team, along with Naqvi were welcomed to the Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, for an audience with King Charles.
• "The purpose is not to kick someone out, but to change them in case they are not clicking, " he remarked, giving the example of Salman Ali Agha.
• South Africa lost to Namibia, India lost to Ireland.
• Naqvi, nevertheless, believes it inappropriate to claim that Pakistan cricket is at its worst, and that the white-ball teams have shown improvement in the recent past.

Dawn Sport Published September 3, 2026 Updated September 3, 2026 12: 12pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has labelled claims of cricket being finished in the country as "unreasonable", citing Pakistan's improved rankings under his tenure to prove otherwise.

"South Africa lost to Namibia, India lost to Ireland. At least check there, has cricket finished there?" remarked Naqvi while speaking to reporters in London on Wednesday.

Notably, the PCB has received much criticism for the mid-series shakeup during the national team's Test tour of England, in which seven players and two coaches from the initial squad were replaced after heavy defeats in Headingley and Lords.

Notably, the decision gathered the ire of fans, pundits and former players alike. Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali was one of them – while speaking to Dawn on Wednesday, he remarked that challenging decisions like these cause "insecurity among the players, " and that they need to be created within stable frameworks.

"You applied to be ranked eighth in ODIs. It has now gone up to fifth. You have had six ODI series, out of which you have won four, but still, our cricket is finished, " he remarked, resorting to sarcasm.

"Our success rate has gone up from 24 pc to 73pc, and I'm not talking about just one or the other specific match, but still, our cricket is finished."

Naqvi continued that while everyone retained the right of criticism and to ask why certain games had been lost, and that the team's performance in Test cricket required much improvement, it was unfair to deem it a terminal decline.

"Those players who have never achieved anything in their lives, when they talk along these lines, that's unreasonable, " he remarked, adding that he sought opinions from ex-players constantly.

He additionally stated it is called a difficulty regardless of whether players are retained or removed, and that ultimately the board is "only answerable for the results."

"Sometimes there are mistakes created in selection as well. I am answerable for that, and we need to work on it, " he remarked, adding that sometimes it was necessary to remove players if they do not perform.

"The purpose is not to kick someone out, but to change them in case they are not clicking, " he remarked, giving the example of Salman Ali Agha. This person was stand-in captain for the first Test but was subsequently dropped from the playing XI and then the squad altogether.

He continued that it was not feasible to take a team from number nine to number one in a matter of three or six months, and that there was "a long way to go".

"These are facts you can check and verify yourselves, if they are wrong, we are responsible, " he remarked, "but the way you are demotivating the boys, please stop doing that."

Naqvi additionally went on that the scorn for these decisions has come as criticism of himself. "Actually, they just want to drive me out, nothing else."

"If someone has resentment towards me, by all means criticise me personally. But don't target cricket."

Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team, along with Naqvi were welcomed to the Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, for an audience with King Charles. The team will play the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on September 9.

In short, 'Unreasonable' to say cricket in Pakistan has finished: PCB chief Naqvi is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.