‘Naqvi is a good guy, he wants to help Pakistan,’ Akhtar’s U-turn on PCB chief after calling him ‘illiterate’

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has done a U-turn on his remarks on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi. During a TV interview with an Indian news channel following Pakistan’s 61-run loss against India the past Sunday in Colombo, Akhtar called out Naqvi on several grounds, including failing to stand by his stance on boycotting the India game, and also for running Pakistan Cricket into the ground. While he openly called Naqvi incompetent and illiterate in his earlier remark, Akhtar twisted it during another interview to a Pakistani news channel, calling the PCB boss a ‘good guy who wants to help Pakistan Cricket.

Speaking on ARY News, the former fastest bowler in the world claimed that the Indian news channel twisted his words, and that he never targeted Naqvi in his outrage over Pakistan’s heaviest loss to India in the T20 World Cups. Explaining his remarks, Akhtar said he used those words from a broader perspective, which were definitely not aimed at Naqvi.

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“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 explained, as quoted by Times of India (TOI).

He, however, added that his frustration was limited to Naqvi’s inability to stick by his words on Pakistan's boycott of India's game in the T20 World Cup.

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“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,” he said.

What did Akhtar say earlier?

During the chat with ABP news just after Pakistan lost its record eighth match against India in the T20 World Cup, Akhtar said, “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?” he asked. “Do you know what the biggest crime in the world is? Giving a big job to an incompetent and illiterate person.”

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