PAK vs BAN: Ex-Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal strongly criticized Pakistan's loss in the three-match ODI series to Bangladesh. Frustrated by the defeat, Akmal questioned how Pakistan expects to win major ICC trophies when they struggle to win basic bilateral series. He implied that success cannot be achieved by shortcuts or by 'stealing' victories.
Akmal's comments were seen as a reference to Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman. Back in September 2025, Naqvi was seen taking the Asia Cup trophy with him in Dubai, even though the Indian team didn't accept it. Since the trophy wasn't given on stage, this incident drew criticism and led to Naqvi receiving the viral nickname 'trophy chor'.
While Akmal did not directly criticize Mohsin Naqvi, his comments were clearly aimed at the PCB chairman, building on the earlier reference.
“If you’re not going to win against teams, then how do you plan to win an ICC event? Will you resort to stealing the trophy instead of earning it? You have to play properly, win fairly, and build a competent team. That’s the reality,” Akmal said on the Game Plan show, highlighting his concerns about the team's approach.
Pakistan Cricket: A comedy series
He also criticized Pakistan's selection committee, emphasizing that several uncapped players—such as Shamyl Hussain and Ghazi Ghori—were chosen for this series despite limited domestic experience and less than 1,000 runs in the List A format. According to him, this contributed to the team's struggles.
Additionally, Akmal slammed the team's approach, urging fans and experts not to overthink the situation. He reiterated his point, calling the present state of 'Pakistan cricket' a "comedy series" and tying it back to his earlier comments.
“If they play cricket, you’ll see from the basics how they perform. You’ve set your own standards here; some players haven’t even scored a thousand runs in domestic cricket, yet they’re playing against Pakistan. Some haven’t played two or three matches, some haven’t had one or two domestic seasons, and yet they’re playing international cricket,” he added.
“What are you even talking about? What are you thinking? Why are you overthinking so much? Why are you getting so worked up? You should be laughing and enjoying it. Now, I view Pakistan cricket like a comedy series because, given the team’s current state, it's difficult to take their pursuit of victory seriously,” he concluded.
The struggles against Bangladesh followed a disappointing performance by the Salman Agha-led side in the recent mega event, where they failed to qualify for the semifinals. Looking ahead, Pakistan's players are set to participate in the Pakistan Super League, which starts next week, offering a new opportunity after these recent setbacks.