Ahmed Shehzad slams PCB, says ‘never seen it this weak’

New Delhi, March 19:  Former cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has strongly criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), calling it a weak board and blaming it for giving too much power to a small group of people, which he believes has hurt the team’s performance.

Pakistan have failed to reach the knockout stage in their last four ICC tournaments, leading to growing criticism of both the players and the board. They crashed out of the Super 8s stage in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026.

“Whenever you talk about any player, they start spinning stories. I have never seen the Pakistan Cricket Board this weak in my life, as weak as this PCB is. They have power, right? But in their decision-making, they appear to be kneeling before their players. This PCB can’t do anything," Shehzad said on his YouTube channel.

"The work they were supposed to do, bringing in new faces, they didn’t. What they do is, after every event, they try to pull a new trick, but the public has now caught their pattern,” he added.

Shehzad also questioned the PCB’s focus on promoting a few players through the Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying it created an unhealthy system.

“The calibre of your players is not at that level, which was built up as a brand by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 5 and 7 years ago. These 6-8 boys… they are also the face of the PSL. They are also the face of our Pakistan team. Will they change Pakistan’s destiny?” said Shehzad.

He added that the board gave these players sponsorships, leadership roles, and too much control, but did not get results in return.

“You provided all the sponsorships to those boys, endorsed them, and invested money in them. You gave them captaincies in the PSL, right? You made them the thumb of the Pakistan team. You handed over the entire Pakistan cricket team to those 6 boys and their agents. And what have they done now? The fire they have lit in the jungle, the fun and parties they have had, the pockets they have filled, the enjoyment they have had… they haven’t given Pakistan any wins by doing so,” he added.

He also criticised the players for not taking responsibility despite poor performance, which led to the country's downfall in cricket.

“Such is the audacity that even today, they are not ready to admit that we are responsible. Not a single one of those players. Even today, they play the blame game. Even today, their ego is such that it isn’t breaking. So weak is the Pakistan Cricket Board now,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's poor stint continued after the T20 World Cup 2026 as they lost the three-match ODI series against a lower-ranked Bangladesh, adding more to their humiliation.

--IANS