CT 2025 Final: Shoaib Akhtar’s Podium Rant: Ignorance or Just Noise?

Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistani pacer, is back in the headlines—not for his bowling, but for his latest social media rant. After India’s victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Akhtar expressed his dismay over the absence of a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) representative on the podium. But here’s the twist: his outrage seems more like ignorance than insight.

“India have won the Champions Trophy, but I noticed something rather strange. There wasn’t a single representative from the PCB on the podium, even though Pakistan was the host of the tournament. I can’t understand why no one was there to represent the country. It’s beyond me to even think about. There should have been someone on this world stage. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any PCB members out there,”

Shoaib Akhtar said in a video posted on his official ‘X’ handle, watch video-

#ShoaibAkhtar questions absence of #PCB officials at ceremony after India wins final.

He said “I do not understand it. Why was nobody there? This is the world stage”

“You should have been here. Feeling very down to see that”#ChampionsTrophy #ChampionsTrophyFinal pic.twitter.com/gTA0NYovjs

— DR Yadav (@DrYadav5197) March 10, 2025

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi didn’t attend, and the board sent Sumair Ahmed, the tournament director, as their representative. But guess what? Tournament directors don’t make the cut for podium appearances.

Even Andre Russell, the tournament director for the Dubai leg, wasn’t invited. But Akhtar, in his usual style, chose to spread half-baked facts instead of digging deeper.

Over the past few years, Akhtar has been increasingly vocal, often commenting on issues without fully understanding the context. While his passion for cricket is undeniable, his tendency to sensationalize trivial matters is becoming tiresome.

Instead of blaming protocols, maybe Akhtar should focus on facts. Spreading nonsense is easy, but being informed? That takes effort.

                                               

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