PCB's outspoken critic Shoaib Akhtar now in line for major role after talks with Mohsin Naqvi: Report

According to the report, Akhtar, who lives in Islamabad, met Naqvi last week for extensive discussions about Pakistan cricket and the direction in which the board intends to take its national teams. A source close to the PCB said relations between the pair had improved significantly in recent months, particularly after Naqvi reached out to Akhtar following the death of the former pacer’s elder brother.

“Few weeks back, when Shoaib's elder brother passed away, Mohsin Naqvi had interacted with him closely and was there for him. This gesture impressed Shoaib a lot, who has been a vocal critic of the PCB and Pakistan cricket in the past in his media appearances,” the source said. That relationship appears to have subsequently developed into a wider cricketing dialogue. Naqvi is understood to have discussed his plans for Pakistan cricket with Akhtar and invited him to visit the National Cricket Academy and the team's training camps.

The discussions, however, appear to have gone beyond a ceremonial or advisory association. Akhtar is understood to have presented his own ideas about how Pakistan cricket should be rebuilt and the conditions under which he would be willing to take on a significant responsibility. “Shoaib is in line to get a major posting, but obviously, when he met with the Chairman, he had his own set of ideas and conditions through which he believes Pakistan cricket can be taken forward,” the source added.

There are also plans to appoint a permanent, long-term head coach for the Pakistan women's team, with the PCB concerned by results across several levels of the national set-up. “The board is working on some plans for the future, and there will be some changes in the cricket think tank soon because the Chairman has made it clear that he expects better results from the national men's, women's, shaheens and junior teams,” the source said.

For Akhtar, any formal appointment would represent a striking transition. He has spent years analysing Pakistan cricket from outside the system, frequently demanding sharper selection, stronger accountability and a more ambitious cricketing culture. The PCB may now be preparing to give one of its loudest critics an opportunity to influence those decisions from within.

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