Mohsin Naqvi asks, “Is Their Cricket Finished?”, but Pakistan’s reality is different

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi recently made a point that, on the surface, is difficult to disagree with. He reminded critics that South Africa have lost matches to Namibia and India have also suffered defeats against Ireland.

His question was simple: does one unexpected defeat mean their cricket is finished?

Absolutely not.

And he is right about that.

Cricket is not a sport in which a team becomes great overnight. Building a successful side takes time, consistency, planning and, most importantly, the ability to learn from failures. No serious cricketing nation should be judged entirely based on one defeat, one series or even one bad year.

Naqvi also defended his tenure by pointing to Pakistan’s movement in the white-ball rankings. He highlighted that Pakistan moved from ninth to sixth in T20Is and from eighth to fifth in ODIs. Those are facts worth acknowledging.

But this is where I believe the comparison needs more context.

Yes, South Africa have lost matches they were expected to win. Yes, India have also lost to teams they were expected to beat. But there is a huge difference between suffering an upset and consistently struggling to produce results.

Take South Africa.

The Proteas may lose an unexpected game, but look at where their Test cricket stands. South Africa won the 2025 World Test Championship, defeating Australia at Lord’s to claim their first WTC title. And they are currently sitting second in the 2025–27 World Test Championship standings, behind Australia.

So when South Africa lose an isolated match, there is an established body of success behind that defeat.

The same applies to India.

India losing to Ireland does not suddenly erase what this team has achieved. India have won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, while also winning the Asia Cup in 2025. They have been among the most dominant teams in international cricket in recent years. Their 2024 T20 World Cup triumph was particularly significant because India went through the tournament unbeaten, defeating South Africa in the final.

And India have since retained the T20 World Cup, becoming the first men’s team to successfully defend the title.

That is why I don’t think the argument can simply be: “India lost to Ireland, so why are you questioning Pakistan?”

The question isn’t whether India or South Africa ever lose.

Of course they do.

The question is what happens after they lose, and what their overall record tells us.

And that is where Pakistan’s situation becomes much more complicated. Pakistan’s problem has not been one defeat. It has been the lack of sustained success.

We have seen changes in captains, coaches, selectors and combinations. We have seen players come in and out of squads. We have seen promising starts followed by collapses. We have repeatedly talked about rebuilding, but the rebuilding process itself often appears to restart before the previous one has had enough time to produce results.

That is the real frustration for Pakistani fans.

So when Mohsin Naqvi says that a team does not become successful overnight, I agree with him.

But that argument also creates a responsibility.

If success takes time, then Pakistan needs a clearly defined long-term plan, and that plan needs to be judged not merely by rankings, but by performances in the biggest tournaments and the development of a stable, competitive team.

Moving from ninth to sixth in T20Is and eighth to fifth in ODIs is progress. I won’t dismiss it. Naqvi is right to point towards those improvements. But rankings alone cannot become the final measure of whether Pakistan cricket is moving in the right direction.

Because ultimately, cricket is remembered through moments.

Trophies.

Knockout victories.

Consistent performances.

And the ability to compete when the pressure is at its highest.

South Africa’s WTC triumph is an example of what can happen when a team builds towards something over time. They had a difficult journey, but eventually turned that development into an ICC title. India’s recent run is an even clearer example. They have backed up their ranking with trophies and major tournament performances.

Pakistan needs to reach that stage.

So, no, I don’t believe Pakistan cricket is “finished.”

But I also don’t believe we should use South Africa losing to Namibia or India losing to Ireland as a shield against criticism.

An upset is not a crisis. A pattern is.

Pakistan cricket doesn’t need panic. It needs patience, but patience with accountability.

If this is genuinely a rebuilding phase, then give the rebuild a proper structure. Give coaches time. Give players clear roles. Build a pipeline. Develop domestic cricket. Make selection consistent. And most importantly, create a culture where performance, not reputation, determines selection.

I don’t expect Pakistan to become a world-beating team overnight.

But I do expect to see a direction.

Because ultimately, the argument should not be about whether Pakistan has lost a match.

Every team loses.

The real question is:

After all the changes, all the rebuilding and all the promises, are we finally building a Pakistan team that can consistently win the matches that matter most?

That is the question Mohsin Naqvi,and the entire Pakistan cricket administration will eventually have to answer.