Pakistan hit rock bottom on Sunday night at the R Premadasa Stadium as India cruised to a 61-run win, extending their T20 World Cup head-to-head record to 8–1 and leaving Pakistan facing both cricketing and political fallout. One team arrived ready, the other arrived noisy, and the difference showed everywhere.
India controlled the contest with clarity and aggression. They set the tempo, squeezed Pakistan’s options, and forced errors through pressure rather than miracles.
Pakistan never found rhythm. The batting stalled, the bowling lost shape, and the leadership looked unsure once the game drifted away.
That confusion triggered instant reaction back home. Shoaib Akhtar wasted no time turning his anger towards the boardroom and the dressing room.
“If you make me the chairman for this channel, I won’t know how this works. Now you’ve made someone chairman, who doesn’t know what cricket is,” Akhtar said on ABP News. It was brutal, but it captured the public mood rather than exaggerating it.
Akhtar pushed further. “What can we do? How will this team work?” That question hung heavier than the defeat itself, because Pakistan have heard it before and failed to answer it.
The criticism landed squarely on Mohsin Naqvi, whose rise in cricket administration continues to raise eyebrows. His influence stretches far beyond the sport, but influence does not equal expertise.
Naqvi’s reputation already suffered after the Asia Cup trophy presentation, when protocol turned awkward and attention shifted away from the champions. Moments like that linger when results collapse this badly.
