'Resilience Required: Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar Call for Major Changes in PAK Management'

Although Pakistan is still officially waiting for their fate in the 2025 Champions Trophy, the former world champions find themselves in a precarious position for the third time in an ICC ODI tournament. After finishing fifth in both the previous two editions of the World Cup, they are once again on the brink of a group-stage exit. As the defending champions and the host nation of the ongoing Champions Trophy, Pakistan have suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two matches, all but sealing their fate in the tournament. The disappointing results have led cricket legends Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar to criticize the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the selection committee for their decisions.

Speaking on Sports Central after Pakistan's loss against India in Dubai on Sunday, Akram said that fans have had enough with the promises and the anticipation of a positive outcome, calling for "drastic change." He first told PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to question the selection committee on picking the Champions Trophy squad before urging management to identify fresh players and start their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup right now.

"We need drastic steps. Enough is enough! We have been losing with the same players for years now in white-ball cricket. It's time to take a bold step and bring in young players who play fearless cricket. If you want to make big changes, go for it. Give the new players six months, back them, and start preparing for the 2026 T20 World Cup. We have had enough. You gave them chances and made them stars. Pakistan bowlers took 24 wickets in the last five games but at an average of 60. The shocking statistic is that Pakistan's bowling average is the second worst among 14 teams, which includes Oman and the USA, that played ODI cricket this year. What should we do now? The Chairman should return home, call the captain, coach, and the selection committee, and ask the latter what kind of selection they made. Did it look like Khusdil Shah and Salman Agha could have dismissed any Indian batter? We are screaming here, saying the squad is not okay. The Chairman told them to announce the squad with a day left. They had a meeting for an hour and walked out with the same team," he said.

Akram also criticised Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy and criticised the Pakistani players' body language during India's chase of 242.

"The captain is the leader of the ship. How will the team succeed if he doesn't know which match-winners he needs? Pakistani players looked completely out of the game when India reached the 15th or 18th over in their chase. Fans leaving early is something I have never seen before. This is unfortunate," he added.

'This is just brainless and clueless management'

Akhtar, too, spoke much along the same lines as he criticised the team selection while labelling the Pakistani management as 'brainless and clueless'. He also reckoned the players headed into the tournament directionless, with none of them even close to the skill sets of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

"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 said in an emotional video that 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."

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