After disappointment and backlash, Pakistan cricket’s recurring pattern of Arabs has emerged once again after another poor run. An early exit from the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 followed a 1-2 loss in the ODI series in Bangladesh, drawing heavy criticism from the former opener. Ahmad Shehzad.Shahzad’s remarks were not limited to election debates or leadership questions. Instead, he targeted what he believed to be a deep structural problem within the Pakistan Cricket Board. According to him, the board spent years promoting a select group of players as the face of both the national team and the team. Pakistan Super Leagueonly to find themselves struggling as results began to dwindle.“The caliber of your players is not at that level, which was created by the Pakistan Cricket Board as a baran for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 5 and 7 years ago. These 6-8 boys are also the face of the PSL, the face of our Pakistan team. Will they change the fortunes of Pakistan?” Ahmed Shahzad asked the question in a video posted on his YouTube channel.He further alleged that the board was heavily supporting this core group through support, leadership roles, and financial support, while failing to ensure accountability.“You gave these guys all the sponsorships, supported them, and invested in them. You gave them the captaincy in the PSL, right? You made them the thumb of the Pakistan team, you gave the entire Pakistan cricket team to these 6 guys and their agents, and now what have they done? The fire they have set in the forest, they have fun, they have parties, they have fun, they have parties,” he said to Pakistan. did not give any victory,” said Shahzad.His criticism reflects a long-standing concern around the approach of Pakistan cricket, where certain players are repeatedly elevated as central figures without consistent results to justify the support. Shahzad argued that the problem is not just the performance but the lack of responsibility shown by the players.He further said that ‘It is so audacious that even today they are ready to admit that we are responsible, not a single player among them, even today they play the blame game, even today their ego is such that it is not broken, the Pakistan Cricket Board is so weak now.He also questioned the board’s authority, suggesting it had lost control over the players it empowered.“Whenever you talk about any player, those stories start circulating. I have never seen a Pakistan Cricket Board as weak as this PCB in my life. They have power, right? But in their decision-making, they seem to kneel before their players. This PCB can’t do anything. What they should have done – bring in new faces, what they try to do after every event.” But the public has now caught the pattern,” he said.For Shehzad, the problem goes far beyond a series defeat or an exit from the tournament. He believes Pakistan cricket is suffering from a major systemic problem, where stardom has taken precedence over renewal and accountability, leaving the team stuck in a cycle it is struggling to break.
