The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unhappy with Shadab Khan after his public remarks targeting former Pakistan players during the T20 World Cup 2026. According to reports, PCB officials have warned the all-rounder to be careful with his choice of words and avoid using such language during the World Cup.
Following Pakistan’s loss to India in Colombo on February 15, former captain Shahid Afridi urged the team management to drop Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab. Mohammad Yousuf also said that the management should start testing their bench strength and give younger players opportunities.
After Pakistan beat Namibia in their last Group A match to qualify for the Super 8s, Shadab was asked about the criticism. He also stated that earlier generations never managed to beat India in any World Cup. Pakistan secured their only World Cup win over India across both 50-over and T20 formats in 2021.
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PCB Issues Stern Warning to Shadab Khan Over Remarks
According to a report in Telecom Asia Sport, the PCB issued a warning to Shadab Khan following his recent comments about former players. The all-rounder was instructed not to use such language again and to be more careful with his words during the ongoing World Cup.
“Naveed Cheema has been called to convey to Shadab that he was out of his limits in the press conference on Wednesday night,” Telecom Asia Sport quoted a source as saying.
“Shadab should know that all former players, including his father-in-law, Saqlain Mushtaq, are respectable and are greats of Pakistan. Shadab should respect them and should not use such language,” the source added.
Pakistan Management Tightens Media Control in T20 World Cup 2026
Pakistan’s team management has tightened control over what players say during media interactions before and after matches. Ahead of the Namibia game, mystery spinner Usman Tariq was stopped from responding to a question about why he was introduced only in the 11th over against India.
“Tariq will not answer this as head coach Mike Hesson has answered this question after the India game,” said the media manager, Naeem Gillani.
Pakistan defeated Namibia to become the final team to reach the Super 8s. The Salman Ali Agha-led side will begin the next stage against New Zealand on Saturday. They will also face England and Sri Lanka in the Super 8s.
Those Were Unwanted Comments – Shadab Khan’s Father-in-Law
Saqlain Mushtaq, Shadab’s father-in-law, disagreed with Shadab’s remarks and described them as unwanted. The former spinner said that many players from his generation, including himself, never won an ICC event but did not deserve to be dismissed in that manner.
“Those were unwanted comments, and most of the players had played with me. In fact, I am also one of them who had not won an ICC event, but we had won several big matches for Pakistan, Tests and ODIs,” Saqlain told Telecom Asia Sport.
Also read: Shadab Khan gives religious angle to Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 journey