Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed his disappointment over the Pakistan cricket team’s performance in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
“Cricket is a technical game. If you hand it to Boot Polishi’s like Naqvi, this happens, He has destroyed everything, including cricket. If he had any dignity, He would’ve resigned. But he has no sense of honor.”
Thread on Imran Khan’s conversation in Adiyala Jail on 25/02/25 🧵 pic.twitter.com/88yjkMJfpq
— Khan Saab (@Hanii_tales) February 25, 2025
“Imran believes cricket will eventually be destroyed when favoritism influences decision-making positions,” said Aleema Khan, sister of the PTI founder, while speaking to journalists outside Adiala Jail. Her remarks came in the wake of the Green Shirts’ early exit from the mega-event—the first International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament hosted by Pakistan in 29 years.
Read more: India slammed for one-venue ‘farce’ in Champions Trophy
The defending champions suffered an opening defeat against New Zealand, a team that had already beaten them twice in the recently concluded tri-nation ODI series, which also featured South Africa.
Despite high expectations from fans for a strong showing on home soil, the Mohammad Rizwan-led side failed to deliver and suffered another loss against arch-rivals India on February 23 in Dubai.
With consecutive defeats, Pakistan’s progression in the Champions Trophy depended on the results of other teams’ matches. However, their hopes were dashed when New Zealand secured a victory over Bangladesh on Monday, confirming the hosts’ elimination from the tournament. Pakistan will now face Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on February 27.
Read more: Pride will drive Pakistan in Champions Trophy dead rubber: coach
This is not the first major tournament where Pakistan has struggled. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, they won only four out of nine matches and finished fifth on the points table with eight points. The team also had a disappointing run in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they suffered losses against both India and the United States.
Speaking to journalists, Aleema Khan shared that Imran Khan had watched Pakistan’s match against India and was deeply frustrated with the state of cricket in the country.
“The PTI founder expressed great sadness over the defeat to India,” she said, questioning the cricketing experience of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja also echoed Imran’s concerns, stating that the former prime minister was “very sad” about the decline of national cricket.
“The people of Pakistan have a deep connection with cricket,” Raja remarked, adding that the sport has been turned into a joke in recent years.
Earlier in the day, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub called for Naqvi’s accountability and demanded his removal as PCB chief, citing “repeated failures.”