Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi took an indirect dig at star batsman Babar Azam while expressing concern over the recent struggles of the national team. Naqvi criticized selfish attitudes within Pakistan cricket and said that players need to prioritize team success over individual achievements.
Pakistan’s results have declined since the 2023 ODI World Cup. The team suffered group-stage exits in the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025, while it also finished at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings. Naqvi has pushed for major domestic reforms to improve standards.
Some players play for themselves instead of the country – Mohsin Naqvi
Mohsin Naqvi criticized the mentality of some senior Pakistan players for putting individual achievements ahead of the team. He suggested that individual-focused performances have harmed Pakistan’s progress and contributed to the team’s recent struggles on the international stage.
Mohsin Naqvi, while talking to the media in Pakistan, said, “Some players do not play for the country but for themselves and such attitude has harmed the progress of the team.”
Although Naqvi did not name any players, his comments come amid growing criticism of senior Pakistan cricketers following disappointing results in major international tournaments.
Babar Azam faces scrutiny over his batting approach
Despite being Pakistan’s leading batsman for the last decade, Babar Azam has faced increasing criticism in recent years. Many former players and analysts have questioned his ability to score runs quickly in high-pressure matches. His ODI strike rate has dropped from 86 to 76 and 77 in the last two years.
Questions have also been raised on Babar’s T20I batting. He is the leading run-scorer in T20I history, but his strike rate of 128.02 has often come under scrutiny. Critics believe that his scoring rate has sometimes slowed down Pakistan’s progress, especially when the team needed runs quickly.
During Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, Babar scored 64 runs off 90 balls and finished with a strike rate of 71 while chasing 321 runs. This innings was heavily criticized and increased debate over his batting style in major tournaments.
New contract system focuses on domestic performance
Mohsin Naqvi introduced a new central contract system with separate categories for Test, ODI, T20I and emerging players. Under the new policy, all players will have to perform in domestic cricket and prove their fitness before getting a place in the national team. This rule also applies to senior players including Babar Azam.
Mohsin Naqvi also warned that players who focus on individual achievements rather than team success may lose their place in the setup. His comments have sparked discussion about the future of some senior players.
Babar was the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in the recent ODI series against Australia. He scored 125 runs in three innings at an average of 41.66 and Pakistan won the series 2–1. Shaheen Afridi defended Babar Azam and senior Pakistan players after the series win over Australia.
Babar scored 69 runs off 94 balls in the first ODI and shared a 126-run partnership with Ghazi Ghori during Pakistan’s successful chase of 201. In the second ODI, he scored 16 runs from 34 balls before being out LBW. In the series-deciding third ODI, Babar scored 40 runs on 59 balls.