Shoaib Akhtar did not hold back in his criticism of the Pakistan men’s cricket team management following their crushing six-wicket defeat to India in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai. The former fast bowler called the management ‘brainless and clueless,’ expressing his frustration over their decision to field an all-rounder-heavy side. He argued that while the team was chasing ‘intent,’ they failed to match the skill level of Indian stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill. According to Akhtar, the blame lay squarely with the management, not the players, who were left without direction.
Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled to put up a competitive total, managing only 241 runs in the first innings. India, led by Kohli’s unbeaten century, chased the target comfortably with more than seven overs to spare. The result dealt a massive blow to Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals in what is supposed to be their home tournament.
“I am not disappointed at all because I knew what would happen,” Shoaib Akhtar said in a video posted on his X account. “You can’t select five bowlers, the whole world is playing six bowlers… you go with two all-rounders but this is just brainless and clueless management. I am really disappointed. We can’t blame the kids; they are just like the management—they don’t know what to do. The intent is a different thing, they don’t have the skillsets like Rohit, Virat, and Shubman. Neither they know anything, nor the management. They have just gone to play without any clear direction. No one knows what they should do.”
Even before the second innings, Akhtar had shared his disappointment in another video, stressing that Pakistan’s batting lineup lacked the skillset to compete at the highest level. He suggested that someone from the team should have stepped up in the manner of Glenn Maxwell, referring to the Australian’s heroic knock against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, but admitted that such a performance was beyond Pakistan’s capabilities.
“This was the batting. We all know the capability of this batting lineup. They can only show intent when they have the skillset. When they don’t have the skillset, how can they do what Glenn Maxwell did (against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup)… just intent isn’t enough. You need intent, skillset, and execution, only then can you put up a good score. But this was Pakistan’s batting for you,” Akhtar remarked.
Pakistan now faces Bangladesh on February 27 in their final league stage match. Their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage remain slim, as they will need a massive victory over Bangladesh while also relying on Bangladesh to defeat New Zealand to stand a chance of progressing on Net Run Rate. With their fate hanging by a thread, the Men in Green have a daunting task ahead.
