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Shoaib Akhtar said he would not even talk about Pakistan cricket if he was not getting paid to do so.
Shoaib Akhtar speaking on Pakistan’s defeat. (X/@shoaib100mph)
Shoaib Akhtar was frustrated and distraught after Pakistan’s 6-wicket loss to India at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday that virtually knocked the hosts out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
After the end of the match, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ seemed emotional and almost at his wit’s end after yet another loss for Pakistan at the hands of arch-rivals India.
“I would not even talk about Pakistan cricket if I was not getting paid. Honestly, I have nothing to do with them anymore. I am requested to come here (on the show) and so I come, I am telling you honestly and live on TV. I have no agenda to talk ill about them (players), why should I waste my time,” Shoaib Akhtar said in a video that has gone viral on social media.
“I have been doing TV (interviews and panel discussions) since 2011. Trust me, I have said it all,” he added.
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Akhtar also called the Pakistan management ‘brainless and clueless’.
“I am not disappointed at all (by the defeat to India) because I knew what would happen. 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,” Akhtar was quoted as saying in a video he posted on his X account.
“We can’t blame the kids (Pakistan players); The players are just as the team management is! 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,” he added.
Akhtar also heaped praise on Virat Kohli after his masterful innings.
“Again we all saw, if you tell Virat Kohli that he’s going to play against Pakistan, he will come fully prepared and score a century. Hats off to him, he’s like a superstar, he’s a white-ball run chaser, a modern-day great. There’s no doubt about that, I’m really happy for him as he’s an honest man,” Shoaib Akhtar said in a video on X.
“He also completed his 14,000 runs in ODIs today, I hope he goes on to complete 100 international centuries in the future. I really want him to do that, I hope this guy gets it all. I’m really really happy for him. Wish him all the best and I think, he deserves all the praises seriously. The way he came out and played a flawless innings today,” he added.
Kohli completed his 51st ODI hundred, smashing an unbeaten 100 off 111 balls to take India to victory.
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
