“Pakistan management is completely clueless” - Shoaib Akhtar slams Pakistan after their exit from the T20 WC 2026

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has launched a scathing attack on the Pakistan national team after their exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, which is currently underway in India and Sri Lanka.

Speaking exclusively on PTV Sports' Game On Hai after the match against Sri Lanka, Akhtar questioned the team selections made throughout the tournament as the Men In Green bowed out without making it to the semi-finals.

"Completely clueless. I think the Pakistan management is completely clueless. By selecting the right team today, they proved that the team that they had been playing throughout the tournament was wrong," Akhtar said.

On the other hand, the former Pakistan opening batter, Ahmed Shehzad, also questioned what the current setup has achieved over the past few years, adding that there has been no permanent fix to the struggling middle-order.

"This setup has been in place for three years now, and instead of moving forward, our vehicle is going in the reverse direction. There's no improvement to be seen. We were promised during the Asia Cup that youngsters will be developed and other areas will be strengthened. What area have they strengthened though? Did we not support you when you brought youngsters into the team in the Asia Cup?" Shehzad said.

"What was the need to change that opening combination? You were supposed to fix the middle order," he added.

"And this is how you fix the middle order? By bringing Babar Azam into the mix? Someone who wasn't able to bat in easy conditions, either as an opener or at one-down is now being played at No 4. Do you select teams based on social media pressure?” he questioned.

"You had been given three years to fix Pakistani cricket. Is that not enough time to get the job done? Even if you don't win, at least show some improvement. But there's no improvement either, you don't even qualify," he added.

Delving into the details of the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the latter batted first and posted a dominating total of 212/8 in 20 overs, courtesy of Sahibzada Farhan's 100 and Fakhar Zaman's 84.

In response, Sri Lanka scored 207/6 in 20 overs, losing the game by only five runs. Pavan Rathnayake (58) and Dasun Shanaka (76*) were the top batters in the chase. Abrar Ahmed scalped a three-wicket haul.

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