Former PCB chairman dismisses Afridi’s criticism, highlights lack of consistency in Pakistan cricket, and calls out ICC for poor handling of Champions Trophy.
March 16, 2025: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani has voiced his displeasure over the state of Pakistan cricket, dismissing Shahid Afridi’s criticism and blasting the ICC for its handling of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
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Pakistan cricket, once a dominant force in the 1980s and 1990s, has struggled in recent years, with early exits in major tournaments like the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy exposing deep-rooted issues. A home Test series defeat to Bangladesh and instability in the PCB leadership have only added to the decline.
Shahid Afridi Has ‘Personal Agendas’: Mani
Afridi, a former Pakistan captain, recently claimed that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi admitted to knowing little about cricket and compared Pakistan’s cricketing crisis to a patient in the ICU. However, Mani dismissed these remarks outright.
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“I do not give any credibility to what Shahid Afridi or anyone else says. They have their personal agendas. Leadership must come from the chairman and PCB board of directors. The rest of these criticisms don’t matter,” Mani stated.
Pakistan Cricket’s Struggles: Leadership Crisis & Inconsistency
Mani acknowledged that Pakistan cricket suffers not from a lack of talent but from poor management and inconsistency. He pointed to the frequent captaincy changes, where leadership shifted between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi within months, and the departure of top coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie as signs of deeper issues.
“What we are having in Pakistan is a lot of cricket but very little quality cricket. PCB needs to focus on competitive, high-quality cricket rather than just playing more games,” Mani emphasized.
He also criticized the lack of stability within the PCB, citing how multiple figures—including Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf, and Mohsin Naqvi—have taken turns at the helm over just a few years.
ICC Blasted for Champions Trophy Mismanagement
Mani also slammed the ICC for its last-minute scheduling decisions for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was held in Pakistan under a hybrid model. India’s matches were moved to Dubai, and the final tournament schedule was only released two months before the event—a move that he deemed “totally wrong.”
“The ICC should have resolved these issues long before the tournament. They knew the political tensions between India and Pakistan, yet they failed to plan accordingly. This was left to the 11th hour, and it was completely mismanaged,” Mani said.
When asked about India’s perceived advantage of playing all their matches in Dubai, Mani downplayed the criticism, saying the pitches were the same for all teams.
“BCCI played on one ground for all their matches, but this was an ICC decision from the start. There’s no point in being critical about it afterward,” he added.
Future of India-Pakistan Matches in ICC Events
The ICC has now confirmed that Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches will be played in Sri Lanka instead of India, continuing the trend of neutral venues for Indo-Pak clashes in ICC events. Mani stated that the BCCI’s decision not to tour Pakistan had created an imbalance in scheduling.
“When I was PCB chairman, the BCCI assured the ICC that Pakistan’s journalists, fans, and officials would get visas for India. That never happened. Now, it is up to the ICC and Jay Shah to ensure that such issues don’t occur again,” he said.
What Lies Ahead for Pakistan Cricket?
Mani believes that Pakistan’s cricketing future hinges on stability at the top and clear policies.
“Hopefully, the current chairman will provide some direction, but it shouldn’t be left to one person. There must be a collective consensus within the PCB,” he concluded.
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Pakistan cricket, PCB crisis, Shahid Afridi, Ehsan Mani, Champions Trophy 2025, ICC criticism, BCCI vs PCB, Pakistan team performance, Mohsin Naqvi, India vs Pakistan cricket, cricket news