Shoaib Akhtar targets management after Pakistan's elimination from T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan have officially been knocked out of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 despite winning against Sri Lanka in the previous game on February 28. The Men in Green scored 212 runs in the first innings and had to restrict Sri Lanka within 147 runs to qualify for the semi-finals. Their NRR was worse than that of New Zealand and hence, the calculations were in place. 

However, Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten 76 runs destroyed Pakistan's hopes of qualification. After the game, former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar slammed the management for not making proper choices throughout the tournament. He spoke in length about how bringing in Fakhar Zaman enhanced the opening stand. But missing out Saim Ayub wasn't a great decision. 

"Pakistan’s management looks completely clueless. Today’s team selection only confirmed that the XI picked over the last 15 days was wrong. There was one clear error, Saim Ayub should have played instead of Khawaja Nafay. Saim could have contributed with the ball as well," said Shoaib Akhtar on Pakistani show Tapmad.

"This selection showed that when you pick the right players for the right roles, they perform. Fakhar Zaman is a natural opener, yet he wasn’t played earlier. Today, Farhan, Fakhar and Abrar all delivered. That tells you everything," he added. 

I have nothing against Mohsin Naqvi: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar also blamed the higher management and the board for not taking caring of the selection process quite well. The way Pakistan batted yesterday spoke volumes about the wrong choice of players that was made throughout the tournament. 

“I have nothing against Mohsin Naqvi. From what I hear, he is a good person. He is one of the most powerful chairmen in Pakistan’s cricket history. He has influence, resources and authority. But if he cannot build a strong management structure, and the team has failed to qualify in four consecutive tournaments, then something is seriously wrong within the board," he added.

Qualification game for Group 1 in Kolkata

Ahead of the semi-finals, India and West Indies will play an important game on March 1 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. From Group 1, only South Africa have qualified so far. Hence, this is a crucial clash. 

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs West Indies match on March 1 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?